[Divya Sharan]

Originally Posted by sairamboko

Are tolls being collected in Nice ring road?

Yes. It doesn't come in the ambit of NHAI. Though even NICE toll booth operators had no other option than let everyone pass during the first 2-3 days of this demonetization drive citing lack of change. Now people are using Momoe app or smaller denominations to pay tolls here.

[dark.knight]

Originally Posted by abhi7013

There was an ngo giving away "shame-on-you" cards to such people when they were at signals.
Well, that's pretty offending, but still. We have to do our bit to save the city..

That is ABSOLUTELY offensive, not to hurt the sentiments of wannabe do-gooders world over but revolution needs time, and a better way of execution other than naming and shaming. Sometimes an activist group filled with people in their 20's do so only for documentation, attendance so to speak so that they have an activity or deed to list in their resume/b-school form and trust me I've seen it.

Two on-road examples I've personally faced are as follows :

- A group was going around stapling "Keep Bangalore Clean and Green" onto trees, I was walking by and saw that as bad as the stapling is, they were using flexible plastic printed boards. I took them head on and tore them a new one, their excuse was that people wont litter when they see the signs and I yelled even louder that the solution to littering is not in mutilating trees and using unrecyclable plastic which will fall off in a week and lie there as waste. The logic was impossible for them to refuse and one of them started pulling off the signs in embarrassment.

- Randomly I see 2-3 people approaching me for Swachh Bharat Mission or something of that sort. When I quiz them what exactly they are propagandizing to me, they were again clueless.. they were an unauthorised self-formed group promoting cleanliness but had zero idea on how to go about it. They want to clean up the country and ban plastic use but don't know the difference between varieties like [1]PET polyethylene terephthalate and [2]HDPE high density polyethylene which can been easily recycled if the state had a plant like those in U.S and Europe. They picked the wrong guy to preach to I guess. BTW no one wants a waste-free earth more than myself, but sometimes one is helpless.

Having a small(er) car doesn't excuse anyone from being a polluter, I myself have seen large 7 seaters or even the likes of BMW X6 driven alone.. for now its their right to do so and no one has a right to comment. Once these so called "activists" stop big cars they'll move on to small cars next and THEN, dear God, I hope they run into me one day. I'll stand on their opposite side with a placard saying "Shame on you for exploiting Democracy".

I'm passionate about the environment and the saying 'The world has enough for everyone's need, but not enough for everyone's greed' are the wisest words ever spoken. I've personally volunteered for plantation drives and environment welfare (and not for putting into the resume). Change needs time, non-indulgence will lead to rot and indulgence will lead to destruction.. balancing the two will be the challenge.

[Arjun Reddy]

For those who use the Nimhans to Koramangala check post road.



Attachment 1578638

[landcruiser123]

Originally Posted by abhi7013

Have been in Bangalore since 20years and there's one thing that keeps increasing: the number of people who drive alone in a car.

Well, if public transport was good, I think people would have taken it.

Well, my dad also drives a 7 seater to work (alone) 4 days a week and takes a hatchback on the 5th day. He suffers from Bronchitis and slip disk- so he can't ride a two wheeler through rush hour traffic.

The bus (no volvos on his route) will take him 1.5 hours, whereas he does the distance in 40 minutes by car.

[abhi7013]

Originally Posted by Divya Sharan

Yes. It doesn't come in the ambit of NHAI. Though even NICE toll booth operators had no other option than let everyone pass during the first 2-3 days of this demonetization drive citing lack of change. Now people are using Momoe app or smaller denominations to pay tolls here.

Nice to find you're active here too bro! Great seeing you!

Coming to tolls on NICE, I swear I had no change and only a 2k note. Surprisingly, after a bit of argument, they let me go, rather than giving change. And at the exit, I told them what happened and showed my wallet. He just nodded and let me pass.

[sachinpk]

Originally Posted by abhi7013

Have been in Bangalore since 20years and there's one thing that keeps increasing: the number of people who drive alone in a car. Seriously? Do they not have the slightest guilt?

I am pleading guilty on all the charges . But...
1. I had used BMTC bus services for a year (2015 Jan -2016 Feb) to commute to office. And I know the saving potential when I use a monthly bus pass. Plus the peace of mind, and slightly better health.
2. Switched companies in Feb, and now the commute is 30kms one way. I cannot shift my residence because wifey is employed close by, and the kid's school is also there.
3. If I have to use a regular BMTC bus, then I would have to switch two buses (which may go upto three). I am okay with that too, but I cannot predict the timings. Which means, if I have any strict schedules/meeting at office,I cannot rely on the buses.
4. My office complex does have shuttles run by BMTC. But here again I only have buses going to my place (using the shortest route) in just two time slots. And I have evening calls to attend too. The calls cannot be rescheduled (client not interested), and BMTC would not run a bus service based on my timings.

If BMTC can relook at their own routes, optimize them etc. I am sure there would be lots of people who would just switch to BMTC the very next day. Even amongst youngsters the craze to drive around seems to be dying out (at least in city limits).

[sachinpk]

Originally Posted by Divya Sharan

Yes. It doesn't come in the ambit of NHAI.

From what I understood (and am willing to be corrected). NICE Road is actually a "private road", which is owned by M/s Kheni's company (Nandi.. what ever it is). The land acquisition etc. were done in the capacity of a private company, and Nandi also have rights to build buildings etc. on the periphery of the nice road. Because of the way the contract was signed between KA state and Nandi, NHAI does not have much say on this.

Bangalore Traffic Police could not even use their own interceptor vehicles on NICE road, because of this contract. They get called in only when accidents happen (just like how law and order police only enters a house,if some crime is committed there).

Aside: NICE Road also has lots of political connotations to it. It seems the contract between KA Govt. and Nandi had been written so that the "loot" gets distributed between Nandi and a few politicians (who are humble and into farming etc.). The road was built, but then the company and politicians were having issues over the share. This was also the reason why for many number of years Nandi could not build a fly over the Bannerghatta road. Nandi company were smart, they had all their legal paper work favouring them. In the court KA govt. was asked to pay compensation and court charges back to Nandi company. For the greed of a few politicians, the state lost money.

[daretodream]

My rant is a picture.
First time I went towards west of Bangalore and when I returned, I saw the chaos as illustrated in the picture below.

Rant- why people coming from electronic city phase ii side cannot join at the end of regular line?
Why do they have to always cut the lines???


I'm going to expedite my RFID application work now!

[TorqueyTechie]

Originally Posted by paragsachania

Please take note:

Originally Posted by Arjun Reddy

For those who use the Nimhans to Koramangala check post road.

This is my regular route to office both to and fro and it was working as usual. May be the news is not true or even if true might be they delayed the work and start over the weekend so that they can work out the logistics by the week start.

[perty]

Originally Posted by abhi7013

Well, we do have to do our bit as citizens. There was an ngo giving away "shame-on-you" cards to such people when they were at signals.

What really was their intention ? To tell the driver that he is consuming more resources than what he really requires ? Who are they to judge and pronounce guilt ?

By that rationale, a 1 BHK is enough for 4 to 5 people to live and sleep in. Will they be handing out 'shame on you' cards to those buying a 2 BHK or 3 BHK apartment for wasteful resource consumption ?

Ever visited a private cancer hospital and seen people 'going against medical advice' (as it is politely described). The reality is patients are kicked out and told to go and die elsewhere because they are unable to pay a few lakhs for cancer medication. Will these NGOs stand outside IT parks and hand out 'shame on you' cards to IT folks who are earning lakhs while other people are dying because they cant afford to pay a fraction of that money ? Should the IT folk feel guilty for earning so much while sitting inside AC office the whole day.

Point is, everyone has their own circumstances and compulsions. The guy riding alone in the car is probably on the way to office after dropping kids, wife, parents to different destinations. Or maybe that was the only mode of transport he could find and was in an emergency.

What's actually shameful is to assume his circumstances and pronounce guilt in this manner. Hope these kids grow up.

[audioholic]

Originally Posted by abhi7013

Have been in Bangalore since 20years and there's one thing that keeps increasing: the number of people who drive alone in a car. Seriously? Do they not have the slightest guilt? Pollution, traffic, etc. Travelling alone in ac, sometimes in a 7-seater. Well, we do have to do our bit as citizens. There was an ngo giving away "shame-on-you" cards to such people when they were at signals.
Well, that's pretty offending, but still. We have to do our bit to save the city..

Slightest guilt for what? For not traveling in a smoking BMTC bus unable to bear the load of people climbing an ill-constructed flyover leaving behind a cloud of dust and smoke? Or for not taking my two wheeler to work and getting run over by a so called public transport system and then giving up bones and life just and convincing myself "Hey, I broke my bones but yeah I saved the environment from destruction by choosing not to take my car". I was born and brought up in the same city around the same time as you were. No doubt Bangalore was different when I was a kid. But what has changed is the damn conversion and exploitation of the city as an employment hub without any foresight and planning. You should probably think from different sides before you reason out and declare what's the issue.

I work my back off 9hrs a day, and earn some money as a return. After doing this, I am entitled to at least some amount of luxury and comfort. This is in the fom of a good commute back home. Now after a days work, should I attain inner peace by convincing myself to take a bus or two home and spend twice the amount of time and similar money and feeling happy that I reduced the pollution?

Call the above thing unfair and sadistic on my part. Let's get onto a bus. If one sees the condition of BMTC buses in Bangalore especially in the current shame of a government, the bus will be glad to have some passengers less. It will also bless the environment with lesser smoke, faster movement in traffic and better condition the people inside it too. And motorists around the bus will be glad too for the same reasons above.

Forget the bus, let's take the two wheeler. Show me one two wheeler rider who will decently follow a queue in traffic. Everyone wants to go ahead, and then block the oncoming traffic and in the process of jutting back into the lane, block the vehicles waiting in queue, slowing down traffic. How much time and fuel and pollution results in this habit?

Keeping two wheeler aside from safety point of view, let's compare car and bus. People and some NGOs claim numbers
1 car - 1 person
1 bus - 60+ people

Space occupied by three cars = 1 bus (let's assume)

Theoretically, you can claim that a bus can carry 20 times what the same space can carry if there were three cars - Bingo! And distribute cards to car owners traveling alone.

I will accept this fact if they did this campaign in a place like Europe or some other foreign country. But my friend, in namma Bengaluru, what does matter is smooth and quick flow of traffic, not the type of transport or the space per person on the road. A single bus breaking down on the ORR creates so much of pollution, waste of time and money, people like me who gets stuck in such jams would have been glad if that bus weren't to exist.

If we get more buses like those in order to encourage people to use public transport, it will reduce the pace of traffic and make things worse. How many times don't you notice two big buses blocking an empty road ahead competing against each other. If that one lane was left empty, at least 10 cars and 20 two wheelers could have passed by. And more bus breakdowns, to make things worse.

I am not against public transport. Organised, rapid transport is the answer to a better environment. Things like the metro is what will make Bangalore better. It is fast, efficient and green. Buses are not, at least in the current state of affairs. I myself take the metro once a week or so and will be taking it more frequently once the green line opens. That is when one should be feeling happy and rid of guilt. Not at the moment. In addition to the metro, traffic sense should develop among drivers and riders. I have seen traffic jams managed in Germany with so much common sense and orderliness. Sadly that doesn't work in India. Everyone wants to get home fast. Everyone wants to occupy all gaps possible. That's not the way to go. The day people learn to merge two lanes into one orderly is the day when majority of bottlenecks in the city will no longer exist.

[Rajeevraj]

Originally Posted by abhi7013

Have been in Bangalore since 20years and there's one thing that keeps increasing: the number of people who drive alone in a car. Seriously? Do they not have the slightest guilt? Pollution, traffic, etc. Travelling alone in ac, sometimes in a 7-seater. Well, we do have to do our bit as citizens. There was an ngo giving away "shame-on-you" cards to such people when they were at signals.
Well, that's pretty offending, but still. We have to do our bit to save the city..

My 2 cents/paisa on this topic. I have a car (that too an automatic), a reasonably powerful bike and even a cycle. I still mostly take a bus to office (my extended family thinks I am crazy to do that with all vehicles at my disposal-But that is a whole different discussion).

Why do I do it?

• The last mile connectivity is not an issue. The bus stop is 10 min walk from my house and right outside my office.
  
• I need to take only one bus.
  
• Frequency is very good (ORR Whitefield Belt)
  
• Plenty of Volvo's.
  
• My timings ensure that more often than not, I get a seat and do not have to stand.
  
• Which means I can spend some time reading or catching up on messages.
  
• Most importantly, my company gives me a monthly Volvo Pass for free. Part of encouraging public transportation.

As you can see, almost all factors align well for me to use the BMTC Service. But in spite of all this, sometimes I just want to take the car and go.

Why?

• Even in a 10 min walk, you get hit by loads of construction dust and pollution.
  
• Need to be doubly careful to not trip over a broken pavement slab or even fall into a drain due to a missing slab.
  
• The one road crossing I need to do sometimes ends up being a nightmare.
  
• Waiting at the bus stop next to a sewage filled drain containing god knows what is quite disconcerting.
  
• Putting up with the whims and fancies of the bus drivers with respect to stopping at the bus stop.
  
• Sitting in a musty smelling bus with questionable air conditioning.
  
• Questionable maintenance of the buses. Being a bhpian and a person interested in vehicles, I always glance at the driver instrument cluster when I can-More often than not, it is lit up with a bunch of warnings and messages.
  
• The days when you are unfortunate enough to get a bus which stops for 10 minutes at every stop in the hope of getting that additional passenger.
  
• And of course, the days when one needs to stand in a relatively better maintained bus with sharp brakes-The joy of the driver knows no bounds. He rips its like he is driving a Ferrari on the track. Pretty sure my biceps have built up a little due to the exercise of hanging on for my dear life.

Pretty long list. So even for me, with a good set of advantages, I am pretty close to dumping the whole idea and taking the car (which I do occasionally for my office commute and actually did for a full week when I needed to go to Bannerghatta Road) . So it is not surprising that a majority who have access to a vehicle are not keen on public transport at all.

[msdivy]

Originally Posted by abhi7013

There was an ngo giving away "shame-on-you" cards to such people when they were at signals.
Well, that's pretty offending, but still. We have to do our bit to save the city..

Next, that particular NGO can start giving those 'shame-on-you' cards to Volvo passengers, including Volvo drivers & conductors. A non-AC bus is less polluting & more fuel efficient and hence a better choice to do a bit for the world.
They can also start giving the same cards to two-wheelers without pillion riders since they are bearing the guilt of all their pollution. With pillion rider, they can cut their guilt in half

[Divya Sharan]

Well I guess Abhi's point came across in a way it was not intended to!

2016 marked my decade of living in Bangy and I've seen it grow! I can't help but notice how people are angry and agitated all the time.

I don't think he was aiming at the responsible folk here, on this forum. I agree with members that it is mostly circumstantial but I've colleagues of my own (unmarried, staying with friends working in different firms or with parents) who come alone in their Innovas/BRVs/Dusters to office. Alone! All the time. They don't carpool. Many of them live in near one another.

Heck, I take my car to office alone when the bike needs attention. So I don't put this pointer on people but I feel carpooling really helps keeping the traffic thinner. I've done that a few times in the past.

For IT folk, company cabs are a good option. You usually get ferried around in an AC equipped vehicle. You can sleep or read a book or listen to songs on the way without having to think about the chaos on the roads, at least you don't tire yourself before even reaching office. I stay ~15 min away from my current office, hence I don't go by cab but trust me when I have to stay late, I leave my bike in the parking lot and apply for ad hoc cabs and that is so comforting. Downsides? A little more time consuming for those who come from very far due to multiple stops for letting people disembark. And some office cabbies drive rash or are in a sleepy state, but I see that talking to them really helps.

So I think it is a situation that cannot have a generalized solution towards causing less bottlenecks, but if people can give up some of the comforts, they would help all keep their BP in check on a daily basis and utilize their energy at home/office.

Expecting infrastructure development from the govt is good and while that takes it's own sweet time due to whatever reasons, I feel we can be a little less selfish.

Till a year ago, I traveled 63 km to and from office daily. I didn't have my car for most part there but then I used to wear a full shirt + jacket, gloves and a full face helmet with a balaclava daily. Even in summer heat. That kept most of the dirt away and just a simple face wash in office helped. I used to carry my formals and suit neatly packed in my bag separately whenever there was a client meeting. So it not impossible.

Just my thoughts!

[landcruiser123]

I agree with you Divya Sharan. For some people, bike becomes difficult after a certain age.

I think infrastructure can't grow beyond a point. To match the number of 15 or 20 floor apartment complexes, we might need 3 or 4 levels of roads.

I do think carpooling is a way to go. We can't expect public transport to suit our needs as the city isn't built with a public transport system. It's hard to integrate a public transport system into a city that wasn't very well planned.

If we see 2 cars instead of 5 carrying the same number of occupants, I think the message has been conveyed. If education and creating awareness isn't helping, I think surge pricing is the way to go. Charge a hefty sum if there are less than 3 people in a car. Implementation is difficult though.