Commute

It's around 4.30 pm. The 'first shift' of my job is done. The second shift will begin once I get home. It might be 6.15 pm when I see home, if am lucky. Most times these days it is 6.45 pm. The second shift will begin at around 7 when I login from home to finish any unfinished work and will go on till 8.30 in the night. When you have a commute like mine, getting work done by hook or crook is the only option. The commute begins in the morning at ITI layout, Mallathahalli, some 3 kms from…

 Some innovation.... "Jugaad" means, "innovation", often thinking out-of-the-box. A mode of public transportation, with the engine of a tractor, has already taken on this name in several states of India. On Sunday, as we were heading out for our nature trail on Bannerghatta Road, I spotted this tricycle-cart that had been fitted with a two-wheeler engine, and was puttering along happily! I don't think this gives very environment-friendly emissions, however creative and innovative it is!What a pity that pedal-power is seen by the working people as something too difficult to sustain. I was actually thinking of an initiative to re-introduce cycle-rickshaws....  ⊕

Citizen Matters in its investigation found out that part of 6th Cross, 24th Main, 2nd Phase JP Nagar which was thought to have been encroached by land sharks might not be encroached at all. On 24th Main, the entry to 6th Cross has been blocked by a compound that now houses a used car showroom. The stretch was earlier being used by locals as a road, however, it did not have any street lights or have a pucca road.   The road as seen from behind the used car showroom. Pic: Yogaraj Mudalgi A copy of the approved layout plan…

What if our children could cycle safely around the neighbourhood going to schools, classes and doing errands freely?What if we had at least 25% of our office-going crowd ride comfortably from residence to offices thus reducing traffic, pollution and stress?What if we could begin to get in touch with our neighbours, our neighbourhood, our city and its great weather.. and have fun while at it?How would it be if we proved this concept here and then extended this to Bangalore and then India?We have taken on a project to make this a reality starting with our layout and offices close…

BMRCL has always been notorious for its lack of transparency. Even being a government entity, the company is reluctant to share information to the media, citizens or activists. The entry into BMRCL head office is restricted compared to other government offices.When I had asked the BMRCL PRO for a sketch of the stations last year, it was denied citing security reasons. I was also stopped from taking pictures, even from outside, of Metro stations under construction, about six months back.Now the strictures have extended to public spaces too - Metro employees in stations stop media persons from taking pictures or…

It was 759am when I got to ITPL bus stop in Whitefield, satisfied that I beat the odds to catch a 500C that usually takes off between 8-815. Even if I missed that, I knew I would get a 500K or 500NA. A section of stranded commuters at 820am. The group increased to sizeable bunch by 845. Pic: Subramaniam Vincent. The opposite happened. As commuters lined up steadily, two 500Cs, one 500K and one un-named volvo, all took their expected U-turn at ITPL. As passengers started moving towards the doors, the buses simply shot off, doors closed. Drivers signalled 'oota'…

Since its inauguration, a large number of people have been taking joy rides on the Metro. Now, after about three weeks, there are those who still take fun rides, but the number of regular users is on the rise too.Most are professionals whose office and home, both, are located near the stretch. But many use Metro along with other transport modes to connect from home to office. Pallavi Rao, a Yeshwantpur resident in her 20s, takes two buses - one from Yeshwantpur to Shivajinagar, and another from Shivajinagar to MG Road - and then rides the Metro to her office…

Angry at BDA going back on its word, about 40 residents protested the flyover construction at Koramangala 80 feet junction in 1st block on November 7th. BDA had earlier agreed to stop the works until a consensus was reached. The protest began at around 9 in the morning and went on for about two hours.The residents have been protesting over the last month demanding BDA to stop the flyover construction. Residents had met top BDA, BBMP officials, and given petitions to elected representatives over the past month. 40 residents staged a 2-hour protest on Monday. Pic Courtesty: N R Suresh,…

Saving fuel is necessary not only to save money but to reduce pollution. Here are few important tips to see how we can save fuel and be more happier as we reduce our spending and remain calm while driving. 1. Fuel at night or early morning: This is a phenomenon we often do not realise. We refuel petrol/diesel when the tank gets to the reserve. Oil expands with the rise in temperature. This expansion causes lesser energy generation, if fueled in hot time of the day. The fuel will burn faster than what you imagine. Best time to fuel the…

After dogged perseverance with the BMTC for 17 years, Kuvempunagar (BTM) Resident's Welfare Association (KRWA), finally succeeded in getting a new bus route the area. The route became operational from 6th August this year. The new bus route, 25N, will begin near 14th Corss, 7th Main in 2nd Stage BTM Layout and proceed to Majestic and vice-versa at an average interval of one hour fifteen minutes. A bus stop was constructed by BBMP councillor GNR Babu, to provide shelter for those waiting for the bus. It was inaugurated a few weeks ago. Padmakshi (right) with other committee member of KRWA.…