[Update 2, Wed July 16] - Agenda:
- (10 mins) Kick off - Updates on what we have been upto so far
- (40 mins) Will not go into specifics or debates on any issues. We do that well enough on the website. Focus will be on broad ideas to take our online energy to the ground. WG is one way of doing that, so we will discuss how to make Transportation WG successful.
- Outline Transportation WG goals and near term action plan - (Murali sir).
- (15 mins) Praja as platform - your ideas
- Suggestions on how to sustain ourselves. Website is growing big now, plus Transportation WG will require some structure of non-virtual kind. Have to think of ways to support and sustain things.
- Ideas on spreading the word on Praja. We havn't done any 'marketing' of the site so far. We can start now.
- (rest) Past above two, anything that attendees may want to bring up.
- Time cap - 2 hours. Can stay on longer if we so wish.
[Update 1, Tue July 15]: Venue changed to Koramangala. Threat of rains is very real. So we meet indoors, thanks Devesh for offering his office (see below for exact address). Should be able to get coffee and breakfast from nearby restaurants etc. Meeting room can take 15-20 people. Going by the comments so far, thats the number we are looking at. We have been promised Internet there, so skype conference should be possible. Stay tuned.]
Prajagale, its time for our second on-ground meeting. All members are welcome! Tentative date/time is Saturday, July 19, 8 am. Early morning start so that it doesn't impact our personal plans for rest of the day. Venue would be Lalbagh West Gate if numbers are good. Or an apartment complex in Koramangala if we don't get more than 15 confirmations. Remote members, we will log full updates of the meeting here. You will also get an India cell phone to call if you want to reach out to any attendee during the time of this meeting.
Please send in your confirmation via comment on this post, or private message to "admin".
We will use this meeting to kickstart our Transportation WG. But thats not the only thing we will talk. Let us share our ideas on growing this comunity, and how to give it more legs on action front in modern and practical ways.
Here is the list (a small one) of members who had expressed interest to anchor Transportation WG.
Local: murali772, Vasanth, narayan82, photoyogi, s_yajaman, fightcorruptioncoin, christopher, kiran8, ssheragu, gnt
Remote: kbsyed61, Mithun, bengloorappa, sandeepmr, surajshekar, sanchitnis
If we missed anyone above, please let us know either by leaving a comment here, or by simply showing up for the meeting.
As always, those who can't attend, but want to pass some thoughts for the meeting, leave them via comments here.
PS: Venue: Infomart, 99, 5th Cross, 5th Block, Koramangala. Its near Hotel Nandana, China Pearl restaurant or Vijaya bank, can't miss these landmarks on 5th cross, which BTW is a oneway, so beware. See Google map for an idea about the area. Point 1 is the appx location. Will post a more detailed map tomorrow.
Forward this Event
Comments
Bumping it up
I have noticed most people come in to the site via recent comments or active posts, so posting one to bump this one up.
I will be there, so will be Murali sir. I bet Narayan and Photoyogi as well. Perhaps Srivathsa too. Who else? I am looking fwd to mapping more ids with faces.
Remember, 36 was the number that went on that BIAL trip :)
I'm In
User Interaction Designer
Bangalore
observers?
I may not have any ideas to share but sure would want to be part of it..as an observer?!
btw would you guys need a white board with markers or something to brainstorm?
Free on that day
Rotary Club - Malleswaram
Malleswaram Swabhimana Initiative, a civic activist group in Malleswaram uses the auditorium of Rotary Club, Banglore North, located in Government Girls High School, 6th Main Road, Malleswaram.
It is quite spacious. I spoke to one of the office bearers of Rotary and we could possibly get to use their auditorium. This will be suitable for presenations / power point and since it is close to my residence, i can go and do some ground work.
Let me know if this is wanted. We could host a meeting of Praja.in and add Malleswaram Swabhimana Initiative, Sankey Park Walkers Association and Rotary Club as well.
I can sponsor publicity in form of posters / brouchures at meeting the presidents of the associations if necessary.
I am in
July 19 8:00 a.m. should be okay with me. Lalbagh west gate is fine.
Srivathsa
Drive safe. It is not just the car maker which can recall its product.
blrsri - all are welcome
Whether you have ideas to share or not, whether you want to devote on-ground time to Transportation WG or not - doesn't matter. All members are welcome.
vvr, namma_nadu, goerge e mathews, bangalorean, bengalorappa, navshot, nijavaada - would be good to see each other face to face, isn't it!?
From Remote, I am in........IA !
Admin,
Thanks for considering me for this humble begining. I would like to participate in this meeting. Can you make arrangment for dialing into a conference call? That would help other remote users to dial in also?
Syed
mcadambi - the auditorium ...
Does the rotary auditorium have Internet? Can then use skype or dimdim to broadcast our meeting. Some of us can get tata indicom modems along, but speeds are not good enough for using skype or any voice service.
Anyone wants to suggest or sponsor a teleconference facility? Will very much like to have a 'global' meeting.
Venue is Lalbagh West Gate until unless changed on the main event post above.
Auditorium is in BC age
Hi,
Sorry to say this but the auditorium is still in the BC age. That is, Before Computers era... :-)
No problems, I offer a meeting hall with Internet
First of all, I am in! And I am offering a meeting hall with tables, chairs plus most important, Internet. SB, you get your camcorder/webcam, we will broadcast the meeting live to Praja members.
This place is right behind BDA office, close to the BDA junction.
Once we have the counts confirmed, I can arrange for breakfast or coffee as well at this same venue.
-- PhotoYogi
all the best folks
A/V capture and staging
count me in & here is a possible agenda for 1st meeting
Please count me in remotely. I think in the first meeting we need to hash out a broad working agenda and identify a couple of moderators who can drive the WG productively in the right direction (preferably somebody with good management experience). The "transportation WG" (in my mind) gives the image that it's purpose will be ->
A good Transportation solution based on these broad aspects-
a) Planning - urban planning and development to a certain extent as applicable to this context since a lot of issues start with this-rampant uncontrolled growth,encroachment on roads, violation of zoning laws etc.. Forecast where the transportation demand is going to be and for what etc.
b) Development - explore/facilitate/initiate development of specifications & standards . Develop infrastructure (road and other) compliant to those specifications. Of course based on the planned urban needs & demographics.
c) Enforcement/Execution - of traffic rules, for development of those standards & of development of infrastructure as per those standards & specification.
d) Public Transport - Development new methods of public transport to fit the needs. Improvement & building up on existing systems wherever feasible.
The above agenda could be broken down into manageable sections with groups of praja members being responsible to tackle each aspect. That is one agenda I can think of. Please feel free to change/reject/add value :-).
And..please...let us not carry forward any of the personal attacks problems we have seen in the forums. :-)
I would like to attend..
I would like to come to the meeting.
Anyone going from Marathahalli/Sarjapur Road/HSR Layout? I would like to tag along. I don't have means of transport (I can try our own BMTC, but am not sure if I will reach on time.)
Also, I will let you know in a day or two, if I can bring a cam corder and a tripod. (I need to work on the 110-220v conversion).
Thanks,
-Gnt.
I am in
Hi Guys
I am in. If you would like to use my board room, it is available. We are in Koramangala.
-----------------------
Regards
Devesh R. Agarwal
Visit my aviation blog at http://aviation.deveshagarwal.com
Regards
Devesh
Bangalore Aviation
Enjoy life, destroy FUD
Sounds like a not-to-miss opportunity
particularly the bit about b'fast and coffee!
Is the location of the meeting at/near the BDA complex? I take it this is on Bellary Road near one of the "magic" boxes. Is there parking available nearby?
Not local
Admin
Unfortunately, I am not a local member and I will need to remote-in. I would love to participate locally but I cannot as I am outside India.
Please keep us remote users updated of the Dial-in number/Skype ID etc so that we can login.
Happy to come
I am happy to come to this meeting, and help with the work of this group. The location does not matter-however, please post it here at least 2 days in advance.
I have no theoretical knowledge about public transportation, however BMTC is my regular means of transport. I can only give my perspective as a user.
I am in too
I am in
Count me in.
A suggestion - lets all use the public transport to get to the venue :)
Users view and suggestion for BMTC-Part 1
Hi everyone,
I am a regular users of BMTC services. In fact, it is my main mode of transport. I am making the following points based on my experience. They are listed here ahead of time in order that others can also think about them and give their views at the meeting.
- ROUTES - Curennetly most routes are centered around 3 terminuses-KBS, Market and Shivajinagar. This means that people crossing the city need to reach one of these to change bus. In fact, they will have to go far off the straigh line joining the 2 places to do so. This wastes time. Instead, it must be made possible to have routes that start and end at points where people want to travel in large numbers. For example, many people work in Electronic City, Whitefield or Peenya. Considerd the case of a person residing in Lingarajapuram and travelling to Peenya/ITPL daily. He has to come to Shivajinagar, then wait for a bus to his destination, which itself is fairly infrequent. It will take a minimum of 2 hours. Instead, a set of routes must be run in the morning and evening to and from busy workplaces. This itself will reduce the travelling time. Possible sinks and sources of commuters are CBD, Electronic City, Peenya industrial area, Whitefiled, Marahthalli Sarjapur Road are etc.
- CROWDING-At peak hour, all buses are jam packed. It is quite possible that the doors cannot be closed just because people are hanging out of them. It is clear that more vehicles are needed. In fact, part of the prosperity of BMTC is only becuase it is overcrowded.This is a big put off for the rich classes who could otherwise travel in an AC car.
- PRIVATE PARTICIPATION-The currentprivate buses that are running are REALLY bad. They drive rashly, collect fares arbitarily(quite high sometimes), and are VERY dirty and badly maintained. Their attitude to safety SUCKS. They are a major contribution to corruption in the traffic police. This may be because they are run by less organixed persons(accordin to Mr Muridhar Rao), but I do not see the entry of organized corporates being of such benefit. Meru(parterner with Hertz) has been involved in a number of accidents on the new Airport Road. I do not think that they are capable of running a service efficiently, however they can greatly help in customer service, something that BMTC lacks. I shall talk about this subject more later.
- SAFETY/ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECT-BMTC vehicles all have speed governors and GPS tracking. This is unlike most commercial vehicles that do not ahve speed governors-they went on strike about this a number of times for this reason. BMTC vehicles all have up to date pollution certificates, and also have a maintnenace schedule painted on them. This is unlike un-organized private sector.
- STAFF-Most staff work in rather unpleasant conditions. Especially in case of VERY crowded vehicles, the conductor has an unenviable task of being in a cramped envinronment, moving around, getting toes trodden upon, smelling everyones sweat-you get the picture. This is probably the cause for rudeness in some cases. In other cases, I have been assisted by fairly helpful staff, escpecially in unfamilar parts of Bangalore. Lady conductors have to move through groups of crowded men-and a few of them sometimes ill treat her(you know what I mean). Buses with only driver are worse-one person managing the crowd and driving is a risk ot other road users.
More on this subject later in another post.I am in too
I am in too.
As I suggested, we need hitech buses to techie areas and few routes I suggested. We can discuss on this front too.
Awaiting more confirmations, need a count ...
We sincerely hope that more will like to attend. Choice of venue depends a bit on the number planning to attend. Plus, need to plan for BF + coffee.
Waiting for more members to confirm. Will also publish an agenda later today.
unclear
My attendance on this day is unclear yet. Sorry to say so, but I am thinking of having someone represent me if that is okay.(?)
And my preference for the venue would be the Lal-Bagh. And early morning meeting at Lalbagh would be refreshing too :)
19th being a weekend , we might all be able to make it using BMTC - why worry about parking at all!? - just a teaser, no hard feelings pls!
-Nijavaada
Venue changed - Devesh's boardroom, Koramangala
As updated on the main event post itself, rains are a threat, and we should try to get remote members into the meeting. So we are taking up on Devesh's boardroom offer.
We will try our best to extend the meeting via Internet. Skype allows 25 ppl conf call, so they will sure be tested on Saturday. More details to follow.
I am in too - Remotely
Guys Please count me in - I am based out of the country so will attend remotely -
Thanks in advance!
agenda?
Transport WG
Admin, thanks for the invitation. I won't be able to make it this time too. However, I'll try to join online.
I think from transport perspective, IMHO, we need to proceed this way (only a sample):
A. First and foremost, decide on long term clear goals from users’ perspective:
1. Fundamentals:
2. Additional: B. Strategies to achieve the above goals:- Policies (privatization, cess on private vehicles, congestion tax, etc.)
- Organizational structures (merger of bus/metro, etc.)
-
System modeling (TTMCs, route planning, etc.)
-
Infrastructure (BRT, bus lanes, park&ride facilities, stations/stops, etc.)
-
Regulatory body (to address accountability, service level agreements, etc.)
-
<please add>
Let's not lose focus on goals and not get carried away with the means (strategies).-- navshot
Route Map to Infomart office
Hello All
I am looking forward to hosting Praja WG on Saturday. Please download the route map to Infomart office.
-----------------------
Regards
Devesh R. Agarwal
Visit my aviation blog at http://aviation.deveshagarwal.com
Regards
Devesh
Bangalore Aviation
Enjoy life, destroy FUD
Anyone going from ORR?
Will anyone be going to the meeting through Sarjapur Road intersection? I would like to know if I can car pool/bike pool.
Meeting updates ...
Since many people expect updates in form of comments (and may not read the main post again), here they are:
[Update 3, Fri July 18] - We are on! Will also have a skypecast (what is it?) on for the meeting. So remote folks can listen in, and particpate as well. Will post a skypecast URL for the meeting as soon as we begin. We may have a presentation for the meeting as well. That will be shared via dimdim.
[Update 2, Wed July 16] - Agenda:
[Update 1, Tue July 15]: Venue changed to Koramangala. Threat of rains is very real. So we meet indoors, thanks Devesh for offering his office (see below for exact address). Should be able to get coffee and breakfast from nearby restaurants etc. Meeting room can take 15-20 people. Going by the comments so far, thats the number we are looking at. We have been promised Internet there, so skype conference should be possible. Stay tuned.]
For any last minute info/confusion etc
Here is my number to help us coordinate - <now erased>
How to participate in online meeting
I thought it was a good idea to write a step-by-step guide for people who want to attend the online meeting.
Before the meeting
Make sure that you follow the following steps before the meeting to avoid last minute technical problems from your end.
Just before the meeting:
During the meeting:
- Keep your skype in MUTE. This would make the meeting room less noisy and let everyone here the speaker.
- Unmute only when you want to talk.
- If you want to talk, request the meeting admin through the chat window in dimdim.
Thats mostly it. If you have any problems before or during the meeting, please drop a mail to me on shas3n at gmail dot com. This would make it easy for the main meeting to go without inturruptions.-Shastri
-Shastri
I am embarrassed....
to admit that I was circling the vicinity of the venue for over 30 minutes before giving up and heading home.
In my hurry to get out bright and early this morning, I did not print the map but memorized the location -- 5th cross between 17B and 17C. I did not make a mental note of the landmarks nor did I see SB's helpful message with his mobile numberI am usually not this inept with directions, but well... I am sure there will be another one of these. I was so looking forward to this one though.
My apologies.
Praja meeting Report - transportation WG
-- Praveen Sundaram AkA PhotoYogi
-- PhotoYogi
From Remote !
It was a pleasure to have particiapted in the meeting held in Bangalore sitting right here in Washington DC metro area. Thanks to to online tools like dimDim and SKype.
Had the chance to introduce myslef and heard the voice of SB, yogi, Murali Sir, Devesh, Narayan and host of others. It was a good experience. As SB said, since we have a platform for our civic activism and built up a good rapport among ourselves, it is time now to roll up our sleeves and start moving the lawns.
I missed VVR in the meeting, it seems he tried old ways to find the way. That suggests that no more we can employ old ways to live in B'lore. In any case looking forward to hear VVR in future meetings.
One thing I really missed. The tasty breakfast and Mysore Coffee. But SB and Devesh has promised to send me the "Rain Check".
Overall it was a good kick off meeting and I wish all the best to all of you in Bangalore and remote Praja members.
BTW, if you guys happen to visit Washington DC / Virginia /Maryland in USA, pls feel free to contact me.
Syed
as promised
I am here..
I missed out on the last leg of the meeting on SAT morn..
So if there could be some updates on that.. would be nice to know what were the points that were finally decided upon / agreed upon / agreed to be debated upon (!) etc..
Is there an update coming sometime now? BTW, Silkboard, is your number available in the fone-directory with the name Silkboard?!
WG Meeting on Transportation
Hai
I am Srinath Heragu (ssheragu) writing
A big thanks to all those who attended in person and overseas community (in spite of the late night / early morning timings) who attended via remote, the WG on Transportation at Infomart
Hope that we have such regular meetings so that as per our motto of
HONESTY / TRANSPARENCY / THE FACT THAT INDIA WILL BE A DEVELOPED COUNTRY BY 2015
we will strive and achieve to make INDIA a MODEL NATION for the whole world
Specifically I would like to thank
Silkboard – for the initiative and enthusiasm in arranging the meeting
Photoyogi – for his photo studio service
Narayan82 – for the internet (skype) service
Muralidhar Rao – for his linkage based directions
Rohith & Hrithik – for their youthful ebullience & exuberance
George Matthew – for his grace & elegance
Vasanth – for his incisive ideas
Blrsri – for his commanding presence
Syed – for his enthusiastic participation & dedication via remote
Shastri – for his initiative & organizational ability in arranging overseas part of the meeting
Devesh Agarwal – FOR PROVIDING HIS OFFICE & CONFERENCE ROOM FOR THE MEETING & FOR NICE HOT COFFEE & SNACKS & OPINIONS BASED ON WIDE EXPERTISE
Expert from RV College / Guntur - for his participation & suggestions in spite of his busy schedule
and all others who I have inadvertently missed
many thanks once again
Srinath Heragu
Minutes of the meeting
Unable to attend
It is very heartening to see the progress made and the minutes of the meeting posted. But, as much as I wanted to attend the meeting, the prevailing (financial)market conditions meant that we had a lot of stuff to do over the weekend and hence could not attend the meet unexpectedly. My heart-felt apologies for the same.
I will make sure to attend the next meeting or atleast inform my inability to attend.
-Regards,
Bengloorappa