Why do you own a car?

Why car in an emergency? It will delay your commute from point A to B. 2 wheelers are much faster in high density cities like Bangalore. People may say it is not so safe, but, today, Bangalore's traffic doesn't move much faster than 40 km/hr. Amount of fuel wasted is too much. If it is raining or with family, and if you own a car it is OK.

This is how a normal Bangalorean still commutes in emergency. If really a four wheeler is needed like taking a baby outside or aged, they go in auto. 15% of Bangalore uses 2 wheeler and only 4% is cars. This 4% class of people are dominant class of the society and urge the government to develop infrastructure for driving their cars.

It is the pseudo feeling of the upper class that without car they cannot live!!.   

aagrawal makes a very valid point. If as per my dream, TATA's or TVS start providing public bus transport services, I'll reduce car usage to less than 25% of my present usage level, and may be even lesser eventually. Between us family members, we may even decide to sell off the 2nd car.

Muralidhar Rao

Well, I agree with all partially. Just in the other section, I mentioned that people say some reason and the other and do not give up car. It is just like asking a smoker to leave smoking or drinker to leave drinking. In other words it is the addiction.

Car usage on highways - I recently read an article in thecityfix.com where I learnt the highest killer disease in India is road accidents. Please read this article:

http://thecityfix.com/highway-accidents-in-maharashtra-reach-staggering-levels/

Use a car in only urgent need. I travel every week to Mysore by bus and see lots of accidents as well as car failures on the highway after four laning. I lost 2 close family friends in a car accident between Bangalore and Mysore after 4 laning in a newly bought Swift with all airbag, ABS blah blah blah. Bus accidents have almost estinct after 4 laning. A bus can always stop faster than car by physics laws. We get Volvos to Mysore on which you can virtually float as well as with more safety. So is the case for other cities. I have travelled almost 20 years between Bangalore and Mysore and never felt I need a car to travel. Although I have one, I don't use to travel on highways. Trains are even more safer. We need faster trains, that is another part of the story.

Regarding City Travel, people travelling long distances still use public transit and it is the short haul travellers like offices in Kormangala or Bannerghatta Road who use it more. Well it is OK if they use small hatches for city commute, but, I see people use Innovas and Scorpios alone to office commute. Our office uses these vehicles to pickup the employees. (I think if they give contract to these MUV owners only that contract, they can bring other employees as well).

My office is located on Bannerghatta Road opposite Jal Bhavan.  In front of Jal Bhavan we see a pile of cars waiting in long queue to take an 'U' turn. That 'U' turn is very tight and big cars cannot take it in one shot. After coming to office, we don't get parking space. Security guy irritates with his whistle unless we park as per his wish. By the time we come out of car, we have to take a heavy breath. Majority of the people bring 2 wheelers to overcome this problem.Fuel usage is less (especially with the increased global oil prices), parking can be done in a jiffy, can easily negotiate traffic, detour to neighbouring small roads in the case of a block. Only during a rain it is a problem. All those days people were managing with 2 wheelers, after having sensed the car, nobody even speaks about it although we see vast majority of them than cars (and even as per RITES survey) in Bangalore. This is far more convenient. One of my colleague was telling who will buy 2 wheelers these days whereas the reality is 2 wheeler sales is 4-5 times that of cars. He was using huge Honda city for office commute, now with oil price increase as well as increased commute time he bought in Scoterette and using that for office commute. He says he has saved in lot after switching over.

In some places, such as in front of Big Bazaar or Avenue road, it isvery difficult to find space to park 2 wheeler also. In such cases, walking or going by Bus and getting down nearby is the best. This will happen all over Bangalore very soon with increased car/ 2 wheeler and walking or going by Bus would be the way forward.

To summarize, using Bus wherever option is available is the wisest thing (eg: International Airport to say 'bye bye to friend' or Majestic which is connected to all the areas and difficult to park), autos to malls which do not have bus connectivity and which do not have sufficient parking or charge heavily on parking. Bus (if comfortable )to office commute if direct option is available, 2 wheeler if no option of direct bus and office is nearby/ car pooling , car pooling if office is far off, last but not the least and the best - Walk if it is walkable. Bicycle is a good option too, but, our roads doesn't support them.

When nothing of the above said option is feasible, car (a small car) would be the final go. But, this is the option (that too with big car) used by most financially sound people quoting 'n' reasons.

Car is good to travel with family within the city to say relatives house / marriage function / take the sick at home to hospital etc.. It is good to have one, but just what car we need is the option to be used. Highway driving - you may loose your near and dear ones. A small person crossing the road and you hitting him at 100kph, you may have to travel to Police station in the city of accident for years.

It is the American Injected Disease of Big Car which has infected all of Bangaloreans since most of Bangaloreans travel to USA. Other diesease is the Gaadi Showkie of the rich . Why not a Singapore kind of lifestyle being planned by our planners and demanded by the public?