My Rant on Bangalore Traffic (and now even a note of appreciation... its not all bad)

[kph]

The previous U turn infornt of Dell? Oh god.. that was even more deadly. (From Dell-my office, I used to see more accidents than in the new U turn area). Entry of vehichles from the newly developed IT area in the extreem left and the immediate U turn added fuel to the fire.

[Nikhilb2008]

What irritates me is that to keep up with all this, people who want to follow rules also have to break them...

Old buggers driving cars older to them in the right lane at 20kmph annoy me as hell...... So, now to overtake these people, I HAVE to overtake from the left.... can you blame me ??

And this is a continuous zigzag..... Because on the left also, there are people driving/riding extremely slowly.... So, again I move to the right lane.

This is unavoidable. But as much as possible, I try to follow the rules......

[eflanker]

Originally Posted by ajitkommini

These U-turns and gaps in the median are really pathetic. I see them most often misused by BPO cab drivers who, instead of lining up one behind the other to take the turn, spread themselves across the entire width of the carriageway leaving a narrow gap at the extreme left for the normal traffic to squeeze through. If I had my way I would close every gap and U-turn on this road!

that is not the solution though
I have been to countries where people follow normal procedure for U turns

Instead if you had your way - try to educate the people instead.

[ajitkommini]

Originally Posted by eflanker

Instead if you had your way - try to educate the people instead.

No doubt this would be the most desirable option, if not the most practical. However, I still think that for roads such as the IRR (where the objective is to provide a fast point-to-point corridor for commuter traffic), the number of U-turns should be minimised. It isnt as though this is a residential area with numerous cross-roads.

[sandeep108]

Originally Posted by eflanker

that is not the solution though
I have been to countries where people follow normal procedure for U turns

Instead if you had your way - try to educate the people instead.

Yes. This really should be essential, but do the authorities themselves know any better? Ideally, commercial/taxi/auto driving licenses must be given only after strict tests of driving which should include safe/correct driving manners, instead of just seeing whether the driver can release the clutch properly or reverse a few metres correctly. Further such drivers should be subject to annual surprise checks by incognito inspectors and stringent steps taken. But when the police drivers themselves do not know how to drive properly on a road (Once a police constable on a bike was trying to overtake from the left, in spit of me giving a left turn signal...!) who will educate whom? That brings us back to what I said is the cause of it all - corruption on a massive scale.

[vikram_d]

The biggest problem in Bangalore is that everybody thinks that they are the only people on the road who have to be somewhere. All the others are there on the roads for fun.

The next problem is the way they issue a driving license. Any tom, dick and harry (no offence meant to any of these people) can get one for about a 1000 rupees.

My experience with getting a license. I got my license when I turned 18 for a four wheeler and 2 wheeler as well. I lost both of them and didnt have their numbers to get a duplicate issued. So wnet in for a new one. The guy who is responsible to test whether I can drive or not tells me to sit in my car start it and go for a round around the block while he stands outside and watches. I mean what can he see once I have made my first turn? After I got back I asked him how did he know that I had not run over anybody while I ws out of his sight and he tells that there are no dents on my car. I almost died of shock at hearing this lame & extremely stupid remark.

When I went to get my license when I was 18 the police guy actually sat in the car asked me drive, take all sorts of turns, parallel park, drive in reverse between 2 stones and not touch either of them. That was a test, not the one that I recently had. In conclusion a vast majority of our traffic problems start here.

[madhav]

You are right about the licensing system.
The Govt. should re-call all licenses and ask everyone to get their licenses re-validated. Only this time you don't go to that RTO, but to some kind of Driving school which is run by an NGO or something.The test should not only be in the lines of checking how you can drive, but also about behavior and other tests (some EQ tests) through which one can determine if a guy is really responsible driver.

Yes the effort is going to be massive, but thats the only way out! People in Bangalore complain about inadequate infrastructure... if only people were ready to follow rules and try to stick to their lanes, I'm sure things will move and not come to a standstill like it does on many roads. If you notice, every jam that happens in Bangalore during peak hours, the reason 9/10 time would be because people are not ready to follow rules.

[vikram_d]

I totally agree with you on your point madhav.

One morerant about Bangaloreans. Have you ever noticed how pedestrians never walk on the footpath inspite of how well it is made. I notice this every where in bangalore. The footpaths have improved considerably in the last couple of years but still our so called educated people prefer to walk on the roads.

[Rudra Sen]

Originally Posted by blueraven316

Only city which can match Bangalore in being as bad is Calcutta.

Interesting. When was the last you went there?

That apart...everybody's talking about how bad Bangalore is now. Don't we know all these? And if we know, then what can we do to solve (a big word here) these? Any thought/s?

Otherwise, it's going to be one more thread few days down the line..

Have ideas..put it down here. Let's see if we can seek a meeting with high officials in police with our ideas/solutions/thoughts..FROM TEAM-BHP.

[vikram_d]

I dont think the police or the other higher officials can do anything until & unless we the users change they way we use the roads and follow at the very least the very basic traffic laws like lane discipline, signal light violation, pedestrians walk on footpath, stop being in a hurry or think that we own the road just because we have a bigger or faster car. It amazes me so many times when I see all self driven big cars (mercs, corollas etc.)breaking traffic laws.

The RTO needs to wake up and improve our licensing system. I think this should be priority number 1.

Why the hell is everybody in such a hurry these days or think that they are more important than others. I am not talking about our auto-wallahs and taxi-wallahs. I am talking about "US" the so called educated people.

[Rudra Sen]

Originally Posted by vikram_d

I dont think the police or the other higher officials can do anything until & unless we the users change they way we use the roads

That's what I meant. Finally it boils to people who use roads. That means everybody.

The RTO needs to wake up and improve our licensing system. I think this should be priority number 1.

Great. But do you actually think it's going to work? If they actually put it in system?

I am talking about "US" the so called educated people.

Right you are there. And that's the problem or reality.

[msdivy]

Whats required for Bangalore:

From officials:
1) Make sure roads are in good condition (so that vehicles need not slow down or change lane to avoid that pot hole)
2) Footpaths are maintained, atleast on major roads (footpath should not be more than 4ft in width: some roads have very wide footpath with less pedestrians and so 2 wheelers ride on footpaths).
3) Proper road directions (so that people don't stop in the middle of road to ask directions)
4) Remove unnecessary road humps (so that traffic flows smoothly)
5) Punish offenders and continuously innovate on one-ways, signal timings.

From road users:
1) Pedestrians/cyclists should use footpath or keep to the side of the road. They should look for vehicles before stepping on to road.
2) Drivers/riders should use indicators to signal which way they are turning
3) Follow lane discipline (slow Vs fast) where ever possible
4) Concentrate & be aware of traffic around
5) Be courteous to fellow road users

Will this happen?

[eflanker]

msdivy vbmenu_register("postmenu_309853", true); -

Not to mention - footpaths are usually occupied with hawkers, or homeless people. Sometimes there is cowdung on the footpath.

Worst is - out of no where there will be a transformer or a pole on the middle of the footpath - THIS is an UNPLANNED CITY. Not to mention garbage piled up!

Obviously proves that foreign companies are coming here not because they have love affair with India or Bangalore- but because its dirt cheap for them to exploit Indians!


I say privatize atleast the traffic police !

[vivekkr_99]

Being a regular user of Hosur Road to Electronic City, here are a couple of things I've noticed apart from what you have pointed out in this forum.
1. During peak hours, a lot of vehicles take the service road on the left, and merge with the main traffic at the next junction. The policemen on duty allow this merger while the traffic is ongoing in the main road. As monstrous buses and qualis/indicabs merge from the left, the normal left lane traffic is forced to divert to the right lane, thus virtually slowing down all the traffic in the main road. So every day, we can see a straight line traffic followed by a curve of 30 degrees to the right at the merger points.
The result, both the traffic in the service road as well as main road gets screwed up. I wonder why cant the cops stop the main traffic for 30-45 seconds and allow traffic from the service roads to merge to the main road and vice versa !!!!
2. There is some sort of median dividers through the centre of the road. But someone has dug out a portion of that median, and initially it was used by two-wheelers to cross the road. Two days back, i even saw an autorickshaw trying to cross through that gap in the median.
3. After the start of the so called Elevated Highway Project (a.k.a Idiotic Highway Project), more and more vehicles are taking the left roads (yes, the dusty roads that offer roller coaster rides) and try to merge with the main traffic. The traffic congestion can be reduced at least to some extent if the people who do this are booked.
4. The next thing is as someone rightly pointed out, the buses that need to take the left service road do so from the right most lane of the road virtually blocking the entire traffic coming from behind. Of course, the great expert cabbies play their part by sneaking through the left side of these buses, thus blocking them as well !!!!
5. Although cabbies can be blamed for rash driving, what about some of the company sponsored buses plying through Hosur road? Are they following all the rules? Aren't we, who sit in those buses, not aware of the blatant violation of traffic rules by these guys? Have we, at least once, asked the driver to drive more carefully?
6. The attitude of two wheeler techies needs special mention. They overtake you from the left and cut to the right within millimeters of your cars bumper. If by any chance, you brush them, they will stop the bike and abuse you like anything that we will feel that they are actually uncultured people coming right out of slums (even people living in slums are more cultured than some of these two wheelers). If there is another person in the back seat of the bike, he will do the hand waving, abusing and staring, so that the driver can screw up another vehicle in the meantime. (I've noticed techies in two wheelers to be more problematic than normal people, may be because they are more educated and draw 5 figure salary !!!)
7. Last but not the least, the way the techies drive their cars with bluetooth and headphone jacks stuffed on their ears and talking to "clients" is surprising. It is not rocket science to understand that we need to pay full attention while driving. Imagine the way these people drive while taking "conference calls" and get frustrated and vent their frustration by honking or swearing at others who are equally stuck in a jam. They are equally guilty of breaking the rules as their less-educated counterparts who happen to drive autos and cabs.
When I start for work in the morning, I try to obey the traffic rules and be a good boy. But barely 3-4 kms into the journey, that is when I hit the Airport road; I transform to a new person and join the party.... If I try to be a well mannered person, I'll reach office only by afternoon :-)
We can only hope that the situation will improve sometime :-)

[sedanese]

Bangalore is a very congested city. Why do people expect to go at speeds greater than 40 or 50? You can't manage an average speed of that kind in Manhattan, or for that matter in downtown areas of most Western cities. Strive for discipline, that is a worthy goal, but please do not drive fast, or expect to drive fast, on Bangalore's roads.

I see impatience with the person moving slowly ahead of one's car. If it's an autorickshaw, fact is that that vehicle can't do any better. Don't expect him to stop and give you way. He has the same rights as any of us to the use of the road.

If it's a car, please assume that the driver is inexperienced or is an old person, or is somebody who's new to the place and is looking for something, a landmark perhaps. Madly honking at him could even cause an accident if the driver panics. (I know of one such incident).

I agree though that slow vehicles must keep to the left of the road, and if a slow driver hogs the center or the right lanes of the road even when it is all clear ahead of him, he does deserve a bit of rough treatment . But then again given the condition of Bangalore's mostly two-laned roads, where the left lane is half-occupied with pedestrians, cyclists, push-cart vendors, cows and dogs, often that is not possible.

A cousin, newbie of sorts, got into a scrape because one clown honked crazily at her on Sampige road near 8th cross. (That's a road where you can't do more than 20kmph on a good day, no matter how fast you want to go). She was shaken, and didn't touch the wheel again for a long time. A little compassion goes a long way in making people like her better and confident drivers.