Rants on Bangalore's traffic situation

[Nitin]

I noticed that buses stop way before the actual Bus stops, and when they do its always right on the road.There's no concept of pulling over to the side. Someone shoot these useless fellows! Every single bus driver I noticed seemed to do this,as if its a cardinal sin to stop the bus where its supposed to be stopped.

[tj123]

Originally Posted by Nitin

I noticed that buses stop way before the actual Bus stops, and when they do its always right on the road.There's no concept of pulling over to the side. Someone shoot these useless fellows! Every single bus driver I noticed seemed to do this,as if its a cardinal sin to stop the bus where its supposed to be stopped.

Very true I have seen this in Bangalore, looks like the drivers are not trained properly or they don't have a civic sense.
Fellows driving Volvos are even more dangerous as they stop in the middle of nowhere to pick/drop a passenger.

Mumbai BEST drivers are far better them, I think the transport department should send them back to driving school to get there basics right.

[amitoj]

The buses stop before the bus stop because thats where most of the people are standing!! Maybe they stand there because the buses stop there! Its a bit like chicken and egg thing.
Enforcing queues would help.

[jassi]

Originally Posted by tj123

should send them back to driving school to get there basics right.

they dare not lest we want a bus drivers strike n more burnt buses n riots

[techn0l0gist]

Originally Posted by diabloo

I see the road on left is un-tarred. Whats wrong in driving over there?

it is not the road - it is whats left of the footpath after it was dug up due to the new elevated road/flyover construction !

Anyways i don't think its the correct thing to go off the road on the left and then to cut back onto the road whenever one sees a traffic jam on the road - just because one finds the road untarred! Well at least that's what's been taught to me when i was younger!

[aqualeo2040]

Rant Starts:

Took me 1.5 hours to cover 7 kms from IIM to Dairy Circle at 8 am !

The primary reasons:
1.A BMTC bus broke down on the newly laid culvert and was abandoned right in the middle of the road with twigs around it as Hazard signs!!
2.Heavy downpour has caused half of the road to be inundated.Thanks to all the ruckus in creating a new culvert,digging out drains so that water doesnt collect!!
3.This was the worst case: A Traffic Cop stops a Stone Laden Truck in front of the Dairy Circle FS.Blocks up Bannerghatta road all the way till JalBhavan.But our saviour in uniform is unfazed and must have his due.He didnt even let the truck move into the wider area in the FS but let him block one complete lane of the already narrow 2 lanes!I have seen this ***** cop too many times hovering around for hafta!Why cant we harassed citizen get together and round up this guy?

Rant Ends

[Tempelhof]

I have been thinking for a very long time now, that the traffic regulation, atleast in the Indian Metros - specifically Bangalore - should be handed over to a Central Government Organization, that could be called something like "India Traffic Authority (ITA)".

Considering the utter failure of state governments in maintainance, enforcement and conviction rate, the benefits of creating such an authority (on the lines of TRAI, SEBI or EC), is the need of the hour.

I also feel that Team-BHP, through its collective wisdom, can do a lot to make this happen.

Some points to note:

• The ITA should not be answerable to the state governments
• The jurisdiction of the ITA could initially be the Metros, later expanded to cover any Indian city that has an airport, and so on
• Laws should be enforced, uniformly, and even for Government Drivers
• Signage should be made uniform (in fact, it is better if we evolve symbols for everything, so that no language is used)
• Lane discipline should be made uniform
• The people who work at the field level (Inspectors, sub-inspectors, constables, home guards, etc.) should belong to ITA, and not to the state governments
• People on the ground can also be rotated, to ensure fair enforcement
• The whole set-up of ITA should be protected statuorily, like how the Election Commission operates
• The ITA must be in charge of every road in its jurisdiction, with respect to fencing, digging, rallies, etc.
• The ITA must also evolve a scheme of stiff penalties
• The ITA must have access to all the drivers license database in the country
• Every field worker of the ITA must have an hand-held device, in which, once the vehicle registration number or the DL number is entered, it spits out the entire history of the vehicle / driver (if IRCTC can do it, why can't ITA)
• The ITA must also be fully equipped to meet any traffic violation firmly - pick-up trucks, high-speed motorcycles, wireless, gadgets for licence database, etc.

The motivation for ITA is as follows: Just for a second, imagine if we had allowed the state governments to operate railways in India !

Other suggestions welcome.

I have talked about this before, but felt that this is more apt for this thread.

[Spitfire]

Witnessed a horrible incident last evening at around 19:30.

The gap in the median just after Brand Factory - if you are coming from Airport Side. There is a Wagon R in the rightmost lane just after this gap and a black Cielo which has hit it from behind - he was taking a U turn to go back towards Marathahalli Junction.

It was clearly the fault of the Cielo as - he had rear ended the Wagon R and he was taking the U turn at a spot where you cant.

Now the horrific part. The Cielo driver was banging on the driver's door - kicking and booting it in uncontrollable rage. Shouting in Kannada at the driver. The driver of the Wagon R rightfully wasn't stepping out. I am watching this from a distance as the road obviously got blocked and we were moving at a snails pace. The riff raff had accumulated and i was feeling bad for the Wagon R driver.

As i was passing the Wagon R - i peeped into the car and was horrified to see a terrified woman at the wheel. HOLY CRAP. Everyone around was just watching the tamasha and the retard from the Cielo was continuously hitting and kicking the car. I slowed down and stopped. Blocking what little space was left of the road. Immediately everyone starts honking and a guy on a bike wont even let me get off - he was blocking my driver side door. I dont know what to do - either to help the woman or to get out of the place before people start belting me for blocking the road. I choose the later and drove down to the Junction parked the Bolero and spoke to the cops on duty there to look at the situation at the median.

They immediately radioed someone and asked them to investigate and assured me they will sort it out. I drove back home quite disturbed. My wife drives too.

I have never seen such behavior towards women in any part of the country. This is utterly shameful. I don't care about the Cielo guy, he probably was bought up like that and must be used to abusing and hitting woman.

What took me by surprise was the total lack of concern shown by anyone of the thousands who were witnessing the incident. Shame for us Bangaloreans.

[diabloo]

Originally Posted by Spitfire

Shame for us Bangaloreans.

The area you have mentioned was recently included in Bangalore. It takes some time for Bangalore culture to propagate there.

[finneyp]

Spitfire, thats the sad part, and it does not happen only in Blore, but across our country!

Everyone joins in to see the tamasha, instead of condemning the offender & helping the victim!
And most often they side with the party who speaks the local language & shouting at a raised voice, doesn't matter if he himself is the culprit....

[prince_pervez]

Boy I'm scared. My wife drives too. Not that I can't handle an irate man behaving like that with my wife or the car, but the time to reach the spot and the damage done till then is what is the prime concern. I'm not surprised though. People have been taking pride in hitting women lately.

[gpa]

Originally Posted by Spitfire

Witnessed a horrible incident last evening at around 19:30.

Spitfire,

My heart goes out to the lady in the car. I'm appaled at the behavior of the driver in the Cielo. It makes me feel like the moron senseless for his behavior! A few years ago, my girlfriend and I were returning from a late night movie and an errant Tata Sumo driver swerved and collided with our Wagon R head on at the Windsor Manor signal (the junction is now changed) when we were standing stationery waiting for the lights to change. The car's left side was totalled.

We were both wearing our seatbelts and since he hit the left side of the car, my left leg was injured slightly as the door hit it. He got out of the car and started hurling abuses at my girlfriend for standing at junction in the night when there was no traffic.

I was furious and stunned from the impact but before I could react, my friend removed a can of pepper spray and in less than 5 seconds, the abusive cab driver was on the floor reeling in pain. I didn't have to raise a finger.

A decent gentleman stopped his car and drove us to Mallya hospital while the cops came from the high grounds police station and apprehended the driver. The cab belonged to a call centre and she claimed damages from them as the cab company washed their hands off saying that the incident happended when the car was under the use of the company.

Since then, I always advise all my female friends who drive to carry a can of pepper spray as it proves to be a great tool to combat hooligans on the road.

[amitoj]

Absolutely disgusting.

Whats wrong with the people?

[balajird]

Originally Posted by gpa

.....my friend removed a can of pepper spray and in less than 5 seconds, the abusive cab driver was on the floor reeling in pain.....

Hats off to your friend for her courage and presence of mind, we should encourage our friends, fellow workers and relatives to be bold enough to stand by the situation and safeguard themselves. Though felt sorry for the damages and the situation you have to go through which is of no fault of yours, i felt like congratulating your friend for the presence of mind.

[benbsb29]

Originally Posted by Spitfire

The gap in the median just after Brand Factory - if you are coming from Airport Side. There is a Wagon R in the rightmost lane just after this gap and a black Cielo which has hit it from behind - he was taking a U turn to go back towards Marathahalli Junction.

It was clearly the fault of the Cielo as - he had rear ended the Wagon R and he was taking the U turn at a spot where you cant.

Certainly not safe to be a woman in our country, is what i feel based on a number of different incidents.

Now, coming to the part i have marked in bold :
I certainly do not understand why that particular U turn was marked as illegal. For someone like me who lives along the service road near Aishwarya Opulence, with Marathalli junction being closed, this is the only "legal" way earlier where i could take a turn to go towards Whitefield. With them cops dclaring this as illegal, am i supposed to go all the way till Marathalli market to turn? Its not that this place is wider in any way to facilitate easier turning.

On one occassion after they had marked this turn as illegal, i asked the cop on duty a simple question, "Where am i supposed to take a turn, now that you've blocked Marathalli junciton towards Whitefield?".

He allowed me to take the turn. So, whether this turn is allowed or not is supposed to depend on each one's perception?!