Easing Bangalore Traffic - Rocket Science?

[amitoj]

Interesting topic.
Since i travel every day from one end of Bannerghatta Road to Intermediate ring road, i come across a large cross section of different kind of roads and traffic.

Bannerghatta Road has a few bus stops where bus bays have been built. But wot happens? People spill over onto it, forcing the buses to stop in the middle of the road!!

Then i come onto the ring road from Jayadeva flyover. Same story here. People are standing in the middle of the road waiting for buses. Add to it the haphazardly parked company cabs there. People think its ok to park anywhere on the road as long as they turn their blinkers on!!

From this road, i get onto Maruthi nagar road, keeping my fingers crossed that there is no heavy vehicle on this narrow road. Many times i am not lucky and end up in a jam, specially at the beginning of this road, where people from every direction are trying to go in any other direction. And then some people decide to make a U turn and get out of the jam, causing more jam in the process.

Then comes the dreaded diagonal right i have to take on Hosur road to get onto St George hospital road. Its a miracle i manage it without a crazy cabbie running me over!

Then the 100 ft Koramangala road. A total maze but somehow i have managed to form a strategy there. Extreme left uptil bda. Then somehow extreme right, then in the middle all the way till Intermediate ring road.

IRR is another nightmare. Slow autos in right lane, two wheelers zipping across, an occasional cow in the middle!

Every day i thank my lucky stars when i reach office, and then its time to start praying that my luck stays with me on my way back!

Its not that people dont know the rules... they do. But they dont have the patience to follow them!! Now how does one teach an entire city to be patient?

Amitoj
PS: I might have mixed up a few names of the roads but you should get the idea

[amitoj]

Its St John Hospital road, not St George. Sleepy me.

[zoombiee]

Originally Posted by amitoj

Interesting topic.
Since i travel every day from one end of Bannerghatta Road to Intermediate ring road, i come across a large cross section of different kind of roads and traffic.

Bannerghatta Road has a few bus stops where bus bays have been built. But wot happens? People spill over onto it, forcing the buses to stop in the middle of the road!!

Then i come onto the ring road from Jayadeva flyover. Same story here. People are standing in the middle of the road waiting for buses. Add to it the haphazardly parked company cabs there. People think its ok to park anywhere on the road as long as they turn their blinkers on!!

From this road, i get onto Maruthi nagar road, keeping my fingers crossed that there is no heavy vehicle on this narrow road. Many times i am not lucky and end up in a jam, specially at the beginning of this road, where people from every direction are trying to go in any other direction. And then some people decide to make a U turn and get out of the jam, causing more jam in the process.

Then comes the dreaded diagonal right i have to take on Hosur road to get onto St George hospital road. Its a miracle i manage it without a crazy cabbie running me over!

Then the 100 ft Koramangala road. A total maze but somehow i have managed to form a strategy there. Extreme left uptil bda. Then somehow extreme right, then in the middle all the way till Intermediate ring road.

IRR is another nightmare. Slow autos in right lane, two wheelers zipping across, an occasional cow in the middle!

Every day i thank my lucky stars when i reach office, and then its time to start praying that my luck stays with me on my way back!

Its not that people dont know the rules... they do. But they dont have the patience to follow them!! Now how does one teach an entire city to be patient?

Amitoj
PS: I might have mixed up a few names of the roads but you should get the idea

You must have amazing patience. You go thru the worst traffic that Bangalore offers.

[MC Mayank]

For reasons I still find baffling to fathom, I have to stick around in Bangalore for another 2 yrs at least.

I have started saving money to buy a tank. Actually was thinking of a road roller earlier but I think it comes without the armoured feature and not too many brands selling in India come with an enclosed cabin. I wasn't really looking for a convertible feature in my next ride so I am sticking with the tank for the time being. Colour available is plain army green or camouflage green at the moment. Am checking with the manufacturer to see if they could provide me with a camouflage fluorescent orange.

[kvish]

I am not sure how many agree with this. But over the last two months, there is a dramatic improvement in the condition of roads all across the city. The footpaths are being done well and some decent asphalting being done too. The best part is that there were small potholes which were recently covered up preventing them becomming craters.

Well, traffic situation hasnt improved much though. Lets hope to see some benefit from all this high tech stuff that Bangalore traffic police have.

[amitoj]

Originally Posted by kvish

I am not sure how many agree with this. But over the last two months, there is a dramatic improvement in the condition of roads all across the city.

Oh yeah i very strongly agree with you there! Though since i dont cover the entire city ever, i can only vouch for areas where i normally go.

Specially building dividers on many roads has helped tremendously!! I dont mind waiting behind a local bus for a couple of minutes while people get off or on it. Its definitely better than standing face to face with an idiot on the wrong side of the road.

[dadu]

The biggest problem across indian cities is the variety of the traffic, from cycles to motor cycles to small cars to big ones to auto ricks to handcarts to horse driven carts to buses, trucks and above all humans....all trying to walk/drive on that small piece of road. Even if you try laning them, you will need atleast 10 lanes for them.

[benbsb29]

Tell me about it. I was on the ORR this morning at the Bellandur junction, and there was a guy crossing the road. Instead of going about doing it, he was jaywalking and took his own sweet time to do so. Road rage got the better of me, and i sped towards him to see if he would budge. He didnt.
I have learnt my lesson. A dog's tail which is crooked cannot be straightened.

[Neel]

bus bays are like pitstops..they make a quick dash in and out...
I get scared seeing the wheel at a 45degree angle when they are just about to get back on the road :-)

I dont know why the police do not understand and implement simple things like..
1. moving bus stops to the middle of the street not having them just before or after a cross road or a traffic signal or turn (same with auto stands)
2. not allowing auto's to park in bus stops
3. asking the bus drivers to stay in a line on the left most lane and never overtake.

It does really need some strategy for any motorist to get past as bus stop!! it's like getting bullied everyday at the same place(s)!!!

Offtopic : there was a video on youtube that had some bulls scare off a herd of lions...we need to do something!!

[prince_pervez]

Hi Bangalorians (Its Bangaluru...is it?)

Can you please tell me how is the traffic
near Prestige Blue Chip Software Park (Hosur Road)?
Gulp!

This is important, I'm gonna get an
apartment somewhere there.

[menonrajesh]

Originally Posted by Neel

1. moving bus stops to the middle of the street not having them just before or after a cross road or a traffic signal or turn (same with auto stands)

As far as I know, authorities had come up with the decision to have bus bays / stops away from the traffic signals and had marked specific area for BMTC buses etc to stop on various roads. I had seen it in Tumkur road and few other places(which I dont remember now clearly) sometime back, an year or so, when I was staying near to Peenya. But I had never ever found a single BMTC bus parked/stopped in this designated area, eventhough there was a cop to manage this!! Of late, I think these "BMTC parking Boxes" did a vanishing act and wonder if this idea is also scrapped.

[Godfather]

Originally Posted by prince_pervez

Hi Bangalorians (Its Bangaluru...is it?)

Can you please tell me how is the traffic
near Prestige Blue Chip Software Park (Hosur Road)?
Gulp!

This is important, I'm gonna get an
apartment somewhere there.

Wow.. This is your lucky day.. I work in Prestige Blue Chip..(Oracle)
The traffic is bad in the afternoons (2 to 3)..as down the road you have Forum Mall and Big Bazaar next to each other..
Also after 5 to about 8 the traffic is bad but overall you are stuck max about 15 to 20 min.. Not more.

Godfather

[Hellcat]

I think in Bangalore we have more educated fools, you’ll find 2 wheelers driving on the footpath, most of the people don’t believe in using there rear view mirrors, indicators on the cars and bike are treated as a show piece, people don’t want to use them, take U turn where every u like, using the horn for no reason is an immense pleasure to some people. The reason for all this I think is in our country we can get a license very easily.

I do not see anything changing even if the road infrastructure improves drastically.

[madhav]

80% of the problem caused by well educated. Everyone is in a hurry... no one is polite, no one is ready to hold on for 10 seconds extra.... It starts with the way we are taught civic sense. No one cares to inculcate these things in our daily activities and bad road manners is just a side effect.

I can narrate an off-topic incident at the city railway station... I was waiting in the queue for the platform ticket. We have these real good vending machines and it has really helped in reducing the time to get platform tix. I was the second in line and a guy walks up (well dressed and seems to educated) straight to the machine and just tries to bulldoze his way. I stopped him and asked him to join the queue, for which he said, "thume bhi ghusna hai tho ghuso... mein queue mein nahin jaanewala". I got so pissed, that I pushed out of the queue him with all my might and some other folks who were behind me also joined me and pushed this guy out.

It is the same attitude people have in all walks of life in India including driving. Its is not taught and it is not considered important. So the question remains... whats the solution? GOD ONLY KNOWS!!!

[theMAG]

The easiest and effective solution is to seperate vehicle types. Make a lane for 2 and 3 wheelers combined, another lane for 4 wheelers and above. You all would have noticed how much easier its to drive with cars/buses around rather than 2/3 wheelers.

And knowing road users, these lanes should be demarcated with painted barriers, rather than mere logical seperation - which will not work.