Commute

On a mailing list for cyclists, that I belong to, I received this analysis,from Chidambaran Subramanianb, of why road-widening is not a sustainable option:"Cut down the trees, widen the roads , make them signal free if possible. Good, I am pretty sure that there will be no congestion for a week. Then, with the added cars everyday in the city and the new cars that are coming/going to come, there will be congestion and much more pollution than before. Now people will take another road which is pleasant and tree-laden. Identify that as an arterial road , widen it and…

12 bus days later, why not sit down to share around some notes on the concept. When some folks first talked about it (back in October 2009), it was meant to be a day to promote public transport. PT day, CyBaNa (cycle, bus, nadi as in walk) day were some variants floating around. The reality for Bengaluru is that, today and for next 5-6 years for sure, PT would mostly mean Bus. The modes Cy and Na are mostly going to hinge around the Bus. Read this Citizen Matters article on the initiation of bus day concept. The Bus Day…

Courteous. Respectful. Almost obsequious. That's typically the treatment meted out to the well-heeled visitor at the entrance to any of the city's top-notch hotels. The exaggerated politeness is a sad illustration of the mile-high class barriers that permeate urban society. The erstwhile Taj Residency makes no bones about the policy of vehicular differentiation it practices. The Leela and Windsor Manor are more discrete: you just get booted by security. Pic: Kanishka Lahiri. A typical sequence of events is as follows. Mr Cool drives up in a chauffeur-driven BMW. Tinted windows, so dark they must surely be illegal, are rolled down…

Metro fares for the first reach between Baiyappanahalli and M G Road are to the decided in a week, says BMRCL's PRO Yeshwanth Chavan. Trains will start running from March along the much-delayed first metro line for Bengaluru. Construction work from Swastik to Peenya Depot will be completed by December, adds Chavan. BMTC bus feeder routes are to be decided in two weeks. The Baiyappanhalli-MG Road stretch through Indiranagar and Ulsoor is awaiting launch in March. Map: BMRCL. After the Metro's Baiyyappanahalli-MG Road reach missed its December 2010 deadline, officials at BMRCL say it will open this quarter. A half-way…

The members of Achieve Academy have organised an event called "Cycle On Bangalore - A fight against Pollution", a cycling trail, on January 16, 2011. A participation of 500 members has been set as our target. We have also received a confirmation of 200 members.. Route: Madhavan Ground to Vidhan Soudha via, Ashoka pillar, Double road, Kanteerava Stadium, Cubbon Park ands return. The event starts at 7AM.Please participate in large numbers and help spread the awareness of pollution to a wider extent. For registrations and more information contact:Dimple - 9916602447 Vittal - 9611328858 Online registrations can be done through this…

This year, expect syncronised signals and more cameras for traffic monitoring, says Praveen Sood, Additional Commissioner of Police (Traffic). A 1986 batch IPS officer, Sood took charge of Bangalore traffic police in 2008. Prior to that, he had served in various postings across the state and was awarded the President's award for meritorious service in 2002. He has constantly emphasised on improving traffic behaviour of road users to better the city's traffic situation. In this exclusive interview with Citizen Matters, Sood talks about new plans, limitations and ideas for better traffic management. What are the critical projects you are implementing…

"First they said that our apartment was illegal. When we showed our property documents, BBMP engineers said that it wouldn't matter because we had to give up our land for road widening anyway," says a resident of Rashi Pride apartments on Nyanappanahalli main road, BTM 6th stage. This relatively quiet road located in BTM 6th stage has been in the news lately because the residents raised their voice against BBMP's coercive tactics for land acquisition. Apartment marked for road widening on Nyanappanahalli main road in BTM 6th stage. Pic: Sreenandan A V The resident, who does not wish to be…

 On the 20th of December, at about 3pm, we were travelling in a hired cab, and the car (an Innova, belonging to M/s. Chandru Travels) was stopped near the Ranga Shankara/Innisfree House School area by the traffic police.They asked to see the driver's documents, and the driver (Mr Prabhakar) had everything in order.Mr Prabhakaran was dressed in a white shirt and trousers, presenting a neat appearance.The police then wrote out a challan for his "not being in complete uniform" as the driver of a hired cab, and fined him Rs. 100.Can someone tell me the logic of such a rule,…

A panel discussion on "Making Bengaluru Women-friendly" was held on Saturday as part of ‘pEtE maatu', a three-day festival. The panel discussion was organised by Citizen Matters and Just Femme, an online women's magazine at the National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA), Palace Road, Bengaluru.  From L: Prakash Belawadi, C K Meena, Mithila Jha, Deepika Nagabhushan, Vasanthi Hariprakash, Siri Srinivas, S T Ramesh and Honnamma. Pic: Meera K. It evoked mixed responses from the panelists as well as the audience. Opinions flew thick and fast. Conversation covered safety of public transport, sexual harassment, attitude of police and apathy of fellow…

Despite Bengaluru's cosmopolitan nature, safety in public spaces is still a problem for women in the city. Opinions vary about whether Bengaluru is safer compared to other Indian cities, but most women agree that the city has a long way to go in terms of accommodating women. Citizen Matters and Justfemme present Is Bengaluru women-friendly? A panel discussion Dec 18th, 4-5.30pm @ NGMA Auditorium, Palace Road, Bangalore All are welcome. The Bangalorean panelists (in alphabetical order) Prakash Belawadi, a well-known journalist, theatre enthusiast and a filmmaker. Mithila Jha, an Urban Planner, currently working with BMTC. Suneel Kumar (IPS), is Additional…