[shankar.balan]

Angry people everywhere and always in a hurry, all the time in Bangalore. Went to fill petrol in the Jimny on my way home. I was in queue. A normal commuter motorcyclist cut in rapidly from the left, barged in immediately in front of me and jumped the queue. Obviously I could not then move forward in order to allow the Nozzle to reach my tank.

I wanted Power Petrol. He was filling regular Petrol. But the pumps are such that there is hardly any space to maneuver. I blipped the horn at him asking him to move forward a bit so that I could also fill. All the petrol pump chaps saw this whole thing. But all of them are ‘non-locals’ and hence were keeping quiet.

Of course the Great Exalted Lord Emperor of the Local Kingdom, on his two wheeled Chariot/ Motorbike had to raise his Lordly voice and being His Important Imperial Majesty, had to get aggressive with me in the local language.

All I did then, was to deliberately and unhurriedly get out of my vehicle and go upto him and speak to him in a medium voice, in the local lingo, plus 2 other Southern languages, plus one Northern Language, plus in this International language in which I am typing.

His Exalted Lordship subsided, nay, he literally wilted and kept shut and sheepishly moved forward to let me park and fill. I think he did realise somewhere deep down that he was in the wrong here. And I think that my ‘reading him from the book’ (figuratively speaking) as those Louis L’Amour Western characters used to do, made him see the error of his ways.

[nareshtrao]

Originally Posted by itwasntme

What car were you driving? The bigger and more expensive the car, more is the viciousness displayed towards it.

You have a point there. This was Sunday late afternoon, rather closer to 5 pm. And I was driving the Endeavour. And now that you mentioned, if I look back it really perhaps was drunk driving. And it was a small car. Not naming the model as I have no disrespect for any brand so why pick on one.

What is bothersome is this frame of mind. We see so many road-rage incidents now in Bangalore, especially in the out-skirts, that it is disturbing. And given the sad state of our Policing, both Traffic and otherwise, topped up with Roads in absolute shambles, paints a sad concoction.

[nova.19_exe]

OT - does anyone know which place this is? i know this is somewhere on NICE Road, but need the name of the place!

Here you go

TIA

[sachinpk]

Originally Posted by itwasntme

The bigger and more expensive the car, more is the viciousness displayed towards it.

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

Of course the Great Exalted Lord Emperor of the Local Kingdom, on his two wheeled Chariot/ Motorbike had to raise his Lordly voice and being His Important Imperial Majesty, had to get aggressive with me in the local language.

From my experience of staying in the city and suburbs for well over two decades. The city & suburbs now have various groups of people, with their own unique frusturations and boorish behaviour.

1. The financially better placed new "migrants" who came into the city most likely due to the IT boom. They have money to spend, but usually keep aloof from the local way of life and always "demand" better roads, better infrastructure etc. Demands are mainly via social media. This group expects 1st world policing, even though the city & country are still in the 3rd world level.

2. The neo-rich locals who made money mainly by disposing off their agricultural land often at a price which their parents or grand parents may not have seen in their entire life time. These folks usually have the bare minimum education, and retain a feeling that even if they have sold of their land they still hold rights on the same. It is this group which is eager to pick up a fight, with any non-local. This group expects non-locals to be really subservient to them. From my experience; people belonging to this group does tone down when their opponent can speak the local language.

3. Then there are the true underbelly of the society. Folks who do menial jobs, or the infamous auto rickshaw driver gangs. They are frusturated with each and every one who have a better life style than them. For this group there is nothing to lose (like steady job, or fear of prison etc.).

[nareshtrao]

Originally Posted by sachinpk

From my experience of staying in the city and suburbs for well over two decades. The city & suburbs now have various groups of people, with their own unique frusturations and boorish behaviour.

Well said. However you missed one key category.

Those who have been in this city for decades, even before the IT boom began and reminiscence the beautiful Bangalore of pre-2000 (80's and 90's specifically) when there were clear roads, wide round-abouts at all key junctions and no fly-overs and parking in abundance. These are the folks who are sadly now the smallest share of the population and perhaps wonder how the roads have changed to war-zones and people the warriors of a different kind. They perhaps do not exhibit any behaviour in discussion but are unable to fathom how to handle. Their financial status is irrelevant for this discussion.

And since we are discussing traffic, there is another category I have curiously observed. The "local migrants" from smaller towns of Karnataka who have come solely for the occupation of "driving". Either the OLAs or Ubers or the myriad Cabs and Tempo Travellers that ferry the new age IT folks. Their driving sense and etiquettes shame the Auto drivers and their parking clogs all arterial roads around the IT parks. And it is a waste of time educating them given we can not stoop to their levels and they are backed by the Transporter mafia that graduated from operating inter-city transports in late 1900's to now managing IT worker transport fleets.

[shankar.balan]

Originally Posted by sachinpk

From my experience of staying in the city and suburbs for well over two decades. The city & suburbs now have various groups of people, with their own unique frusturations and boorish behaviour..

The Particular ArchDuke of Agara with whom I had my ‘run-in’ yesterday, did not conform to any of the above categories that you have listed. Basically I think he is a regular working man who just tried his luck with the ‘local’ card and failed.

Honestly, I don’t like such altercations. I do not feel any satisfaction or think I came off better. It leaves a bad taste in the mouth and I am wracked with guilt afterwards because all said and done, he is in a different situation in life as compared to most of the rest of us.

But then, I am not the architect of his life and I was also not the cause of the whole nonsense. And neither am I going to take on his troubles, such as they may be, which may have caused him to snap momentarily.

What is really sad is that one is forced to raise one’s voice or flex one’s (figurative) muscles, or ‘trip’ the other fellow up, by blind-siding him with one’s linguistic ability, in order to assert one’s self even if one is in the ‘right’ .

These new age behavioural characteristics - endorsement of ‘Might is Right’ is not at all the civilised method and it is the sign of absolute moral decay in our modern society.

One thing that I simply do not appreciate at all, under any circumstances, is this local vs non-local thing. Yes it is nice if one is able to learn the local language and makes an effort to do so and all that.

But these things should always be of one’s own free will and should never be enforced through intimidation and bullying and coercion. That attitude is really very parochial and does not bode well for the country as a whole.

[115]

Partial road block at Ibbalur towards Sarjapur for the next 45 days "atleast", due to metro work.

[airbus]

Did anyone experience this traffic diversion on Friday, 28 February? Is it helping to improve traffic situation at Kadubeesanahalli junction?

[binand]

Originally Posted by airbus

Did anyone experience this traffic diversion on Friday, 28 February? Is it helping to improve traffic situation at Kadubeesanahalli junction?

Maybe, but are they suggesting those people to go via Sakra Hospital, Kariyammana Agrahara village / Patel school complex and then reach Kadubisanahalli (Oracle Tech Hub / Prestige Tech Park)? I don't think that route is capable of handling even 10% of the expected traffic then.

They shouldn't do this sort of thing to an hospital - make it practically unreachable.

[anandhsub]

Originally Posted by binand

Maybe, but are they suggesting those people to go via Sakra Hospital, Kariyammana Agrahara village / Patel school complex and then reach Kadubisanahalli (Oracle Tech Hub / Prestige Tech Park)? I don't think that route is capable of handling even 10% of the expected traffic then.

They shouldn't do this sort of thing to an hospital - make it practically unreachable.

To reach PTP or Oracle Tech hub, one can easily take the main gate from ORR service road. Hence that traffic will not reach the Sakra road. What will however will be the traffic to a couple of apartments and eateries on that stretch.

[airguitar]

Originally Posted by anandhsub

To reach PTP or Oracle Tech hub, one can easily take the main gate from ORR service road. Hence that traffic will not reach the Sakra road. What will however will be the traffic to a couple of apartments and eateries on that stretch.

Well they figured this out and were checking more feverishly on Thursday and Friday if you had the right ID card.

BTW, they have removed the restriction this week and normal flow of traffic now.

[wildsdi5530]

A very heartening gesture by BTP traffic policeman.

So on Monday, I was on Jayamahal palace road, at the signal just before Snowcity, just opposite to the JC nagar Police station. I was first at the red light with another car beside me and an Auto behind us. There were a bunch of traffic police just after the signal doing spot checks. (And another group about 200 mts ahead)

A BMTC bus which we had crossed at the bus stop just behind us cut across to the opposite side and jumped the signal. Opposite vehicles and Vehicles from Nandi Durga Road were honking in annoyance.

The main traffic policeman who was stopping people randomly saw the bus jumping the signal and immediately did an about turn so that his back would face the bus. It was so comical to see that gesture.

BTP have no authority except over law abiding bikers and most private cars. but at least this gentleman had the shame to turn around and not witness this atrocious breaking of traffic rules.

[ShreyG]

My Recent Observations of Bangalore Traffic

Over the past couple of weeks, I had to travel extensively within the city during peak evening hours (between 6pm-8pm). Fortunately, my work requires me to travel more intercity than intracity but the last few weeks, I had work meeting in South and East Bangalore.

Firstly, I would like to point out that these seem like 2 completely different cities. Even though road conditions are similar (read potholed), traffic sense and BTP management makes the experience feel worlds apart.

South Bangalore (specifically JP Nagar, Jayanagar and Basavangudi) have the BTP working hard to keep the traffic flowing during peak hours. There was minimal honking and no massive NL / AR registered buses terrorizing everyone in their path. 2-3 wheelers, were unruly as usual but given the smooth flow, it wasn't causing choc-a-blocks anywhere.

However, the moment you cross Iblur junction towards Whitefield, all hell breaks loose. The leftmost lane on the ORR is treated as a parking zone by the buses and 3W whereas the dusty median below the under construction metro line act as parking lots for cabs and TTs. BMTCs and private buses take up 2.5 of the 3 lanes for pickup and drop, BTP is nowhere to be seen other than at traffic signals (clicking away merrily) and pay absolutely no heed to the buses etc causing massive pile ups. And the less said about lawlessness on the arterial roads along the ORR, the better.

One thing that shocked me the most was private bus players were outnumbering the BMTCs on the ORR during peak hours. Are they actually acting as intercity transport from Silk board to Hebbal? Kudos to the private bus nexus . Private players from KA do not seem happy about it -https://indianexpress.com/article/ci...d-tax-9870418/

Only consistency I saw was from the BBMP. Road conditions were mostly consistent irrespective of which part of the city I was in.

And oh yes, 2/3 wheelers were equally brazen to jump traffic lights and drive down the wrong side without any fear of the law.

[nareshtrao]

Originally Posted by ShreyG

My Recent Observations of Bangalore Traffic


However, the moment you cross Iblur junction towards Whitefield, all hell breaks loose. The leftmost lane on the ORR is treated as a parking zone by the buses and 3W whereas the dusty median below the under construction metro line act as parking lots for cabs and TTs. BMTCs and private buses take up 2.5 of the 3 lanes for pickup and drop, BTP is nowhere to be seen other than at traffic signals (clicking away merrily) and pay absolutely no heed to the buses etc causing massive pile ups. And the less said about lawlessness on the arterial roads along the ORR, the better.

You are absolutely right. Entire Ring Road stretch from Silk Board to KR Puram (and perhaps Hebbal too) is mostly managed by ORRCA private security dressed as Traffic cops (they wear the same colors and also look-alike badges on arms) while the actual Traffic Police are mostly busy with Challans at key junctions like Iblur, Ecoworld entrance etc.

These private security staff have no training and the traffic too mostly do not heed to their directions leading to "free-for-all".

All roads are choc-o-block with parked Cabs and Tempo Travellers and cops seem to be "fine" with it.

Despite this being covered in media extensively, the Traffic Police leadership pay no heed to this stretch. I recall tweeting to the Joint CP multiple times with no response.

[ShreyG]

Originally Posted by nareshtrao

These private security staff have no training and the traffic too mostly do not heed to their directions leading to "free-for-all".

All roads are choc-o-block with parked Cabs and Tempo Travellers and cops seem to be "fine" with it.

TBH, when the regular culprits (Buses, TTs, 2/3W) don't really care about the BTP in any other part of the city, they sure as hell ain't gonna care about private traffic wardens.

The small subset of cops deployed, most likely, would have made significant contributions to be stationed there and need to recover their investments substantially before they are moved elsewhere. .

Traffic and city reputation be damned.