Entropy, aka chaos on the roads is a subject we have discussed a lot here. There are about a hundred comments thrown across various posts. How about consolidating those points and making them more presentable via picture posts? Here is my attempt with pictures over last two months. Look, we need to explain and understand one thing very clearly. Flyovers and road widening projects are like buying extra large clothes to deal with obesity. Some folks prefer exercises or medicines to shed some fat.
Double parked car blocking my progress? Perhaps not this vehicle's fault, because all but one of the newly built commercial/superstore complexes have consumed basements for causes other than parking.
A narrow side road made challenging by the army of parked cars? Reason - a nearby hospital (not shown) expanded without planning for parking spaces.
Construction material on the road. Its common to see these consume pavements. But on the outskirts, you would see these spill on to the road as well. When construction material can't be made to fit inside the plot, that kind of tells you the builder is playing games with the setback norms. But what can you and me do - nothing, as BBMP doesn't have a complaints or tip-off mechanism.
Custom cuts are the "in things" wherever BBMP has done half ass job of erecting medians. These are the favorite U-turn points for autos and bikers. And as a result, a not so favorite "brake points" for those who hate disorder on roads.
Bloody pedestrians, why do they "spill" on to the road!? Patience my dear. Pavements are consumed by parked cars, encroachments, widened roads, garbage or construction debris. Where the hell do we walk? And all you car drivers, remember this. You too play pedestrians once you get down from your chariots. And these very same reasons (no walking space) make you search for parking as close to your destination as possible. So easy on pedestrians, please.
Ah, the deadly humps of our city. See a past satirical take here (belly hunters ...). Rains makes things worse, we just have more sine-wave humps, rattle therapists etc in July and August. Just ran into a broken down Zen at one of these this morning, couldn't click a picture though, sorry.
Whats left? Ah, those men at work. No warning signs, nothing, to watch ahead is your job. It was too hard to click those women sweeping roads in live traffic without wearing transparent jackets or warning signs, but I bet you have seen them.
What else then? "braking reasons" that I haven't clicked are:
- Bus stands - we need them, a bus has every right to use the edge of the road to drop passengers, you better wait behind them.
- Blocked on free left turns - this is regular traffic, can't expect to fly through free lefts as some yellow plate vehicles do.
- Slow moving trucks - These folks do the speed, keep themselves within the limits. If only we all would do the same, we will all get to our destinations quicker than we do.
So bring them on, you favorite braking reasons, or pictures on above lines. And lets show everyone that before we think flyovers and wider roads, there is a lot of basic work to do to manage our roads and traffic.
[PS: I use my E61i as a camera more than a phone. I suggest you try to click a picture every time you brake on the road. Share your notes, and help us understand the futility of flyovers, or road widening, because we must realize that there are at least 4-5 low hanging fruits - all of those tied to enforcement - that can give us results in just a few months.]
Comments
LHF 1 - Turn lanes in Median
Thank you for starting the thread...
Turn lanes for right turns are an important concept in road design. IRC has done lipservice to this concept in their specs
IRC 86-1983: Minimum widths of median at intersections to accomplish various purposes should be as follows : (i) Pedestrian refuge, 1.2 m; (ii) Median lane for protection of vehicle making right turn, 4,0 m but 7.5 m is recommended;
(iii) 9 to 12 metre is required to protect vehicles crossing at grade.
So turn lanes should be made a feature on Bangalore streets. I hoope the junction redesign projects are taking this into account.
Slow moving traffic on green
One thing that I have observed in Bangalore is the low throughput of vehicles once the lights turn green. Major reasons
a. Just turned red vehicles don't stop and want to sneak through. Block the road for 5-10 secs.
b. People not waiting in the correct lanes and then start shifting lanes, slowing down traffic.
c. 4-5 waiting lanes = 6-7 vehicle lanes (JC Road /Town Hall Jn towards corporation) merge into 2 or 3 lanes. Happens at Richmond Circle too - when you come from Mallya hospital and want to turn right towards Double Road. Add to that - we have a bus stop at that very corner!!!
Srivathsa
Drive safe. It is not just the car maker which can recall its product.
Sharing some funny & interesting media
Couldn't help look at some of my archives... All from public domain, and credits go to the original authors!
This one is funny, not from Bangalore, but would it be any different here?
This is a fairly long video - a pretty good travelogue - Old Madras Road / KR Puram Jam
A good way to analyze traffic patterns, in my mind. See this birds-eye-view from one our junctions.
From an unknown source (chain email):
LHF2 - Respect for signs
Bidari warns severe action against vandelisers
BANGALORE: Police Commissioner Shankar Bidari on Thursday, said that a number of advertisements had appeared on traffic signals and sign boards without any permission from the authorities concerned. This defacement of police property is a serious issue and causes distraction to the traffic flow.
Following this, the police authorities have warned severe action against the public who damage, vandalise and deface traffic signages.
Traffic woes
I agree when you say that a lot could be improved by picking some low hanging fruits.
However all these so called "low hanging" fruits can only be acheived by enforcement or best by educating people. Its is only when people start behaving responsibly that the situation can improve. Finally i guess it all boils down to attitude.
Having said so, it is in this area that the authorities must focus their energy.
For example, I still do not understand why the authorities have not noticed one of the root causes of bangalore's traffic woes. The licencing authority at the RTO. Every day several hundreds get a licence to drive and most of them get it through a driving school.
how many times have we not seen a training school car honk unnecessarily or flout some basic driving rules. These are the guys who get around getting a licence probably because the RTO officials who grant the licence have been "taken care of".
If only getting a licence could have been based on stringent tests which test the drivers understanding of traffic rules rather than the payment made to the inspector things probably could move towards the better.
Well making a small change by driving responsibly ourselves, without giving in to the lure of breaking a rule just because the vehicle on our side did it, will go a long way.
Finally, i guess one has to take a small step towards a journey of a thousand miles.
-Prasad
The Jayanagar jam
Jayanagar jams are very small jams usually and OK compared to others. There are jams near Complex, 3rd Block and near the Telephone Exchange where people from BSK travel towards Bannerghatta Road and Koramangala. Jams near complex is a common scene during weekends. Once has to park somewhere in 2nd Block to reach complex.
Problems are mostly in intersections. Roads are wide and there are plenty of trees which will absorb the pollution. Mainly not much truck traffic.
LHF1 - Example
LHF3 - Street names
LHF4 - Licensing revamp
We have to get the message that the current Licensing system is a failure.
Short term we can take out a praja rally and get the news out that we are dissatisfied. We will need placards and people at MG park for half a day (saturday/sunday) and invite media to draw attention. We can submit petition to RTO and request them to revamp their system.
Medium term We can offer to be a part of any comittee they set up or provide material we have thru ASJ to help RTO customize the testing process.
some more "braking points"
I missed some valid and big ones in this post
Possible solutions for above are perhaps obvious?
Footpath encroachments
The video on this blogpost shows the state of footpath on CMH road. When there is practically no space for pedestrians to walk on the foot paths, what else can we expect? Of course there are also a lot of parked vehicles as well. Watch the video.
-Shastri
-Shastri
Where did that post go?
I cant find the post from ASJ which has the road design specs. But I would suggest we not try to tweak those to fit our scenario since it would be too much work. We should prioritize some IRC codes, find out weakness in those and fix those only. That way we can fit it into already approved IRC codes and it will be easier for authorities to take the amendments to specific codes to the congress to get it approved.
ids - here is that post
Here is that post : http://praja.in/pune/disc...
We need a wiki like thing to save and build these standards + our suggestions.
Agree we need complement IRC
IDS, SB - I agree. UK and the rest have very good well laid out protocols. Often these are basic and sound principles more than anything.
We should look up IRC guidances and then use above to fill in gaps or enhance IRC.
IRC may not have to be followed (they I presume are a set of recommendations only).
Our task should be to form a body of stake holders (Praja, get architects, IIT civil engineering dept or like and Municipal engineers) to discuss and contractually agree to local protocols - deviation from this will be in unlawful.
Its a big task, we need half a dozen people (can be two city initiative and get some from Pune to join as well).
ASJ
www.driving-india.blogspot.com
implementation of IRC
ssheragu
so much has been said about IRC; I have not gone thru' IRC; but I am sure that IRC will have well laid guidlines for roads, pedestrian paths, bus stops etc.
my suggestion would be that one of us well versed in this should dipslay here (on Praja) guidelines itemwise, say for example, bus stops, pedestrian paths, medians etc. and then we can implement these one by one (step by step, say bus stops first, followed by pedestrian paths& subsequnetly others), on roads (major roads tostart with and subsequently all roads);
in this manner implementation of well laid guidslines, rules of IRC will be complete
also I request Praja admin to display details of Praja members locality wise, so that Praja members in Indira Nagar, RT Nagar cn meet frequently and implement views of Praja
Srinath Heragu
IRC upload on Praja
IRC for public consumption
We will have to ask IRC and get clearance from them to publish it . Let me send some mais and check before we start uploading stuff.
The other way to do this in the meanwhile is to prioritize some things we want changed (like medians, markings etc). I have already pasted in one of the posts what is said about medians in IRC 86. That paragraph is all there is available. We can look for median specs in the specs ASJ has suggested and prepare the modified specs for that. We will need a median thread to capture all that is relevant.
Just so you know myself and TS have access to some of the codes only. Sudhir may have access to more.
ASJ - My assumption is the same as yours that they are only guidelines and not audited to be followed to the T. If this is clarified true then we dont have to actually go back to IRC with our recommendations we can directly convince local authorities to include them in tenders as long as basic IRC criteria is not changed in our specs
IRC - to publish or not
Actually I am not too inclined at publishing IRC (although it will be great if they permit or publish some if not all stuff on their website).
What I am hoping we should do is use IRC as a template, look at worldwide standards and see if anything from the latter can be added to enhance or complement the former. This way we come up with something robust.
Once we have done this, we have discussions with Municipal Civil Engineers. Get their feedback. Once they agree we put the standards for ratification by the Municipal Corporators as 'agreed protocols and standards for given issue (footpaths, median, etc) which have to be followed no matter what by every contractor.
We should publish this final version agreed to by the Municipal governing body not IRC.
Moving on -
We need to prioritise what we focus on, acquire IRC guides and everything else done internationally on the same matter only and then carry out above. My vote is for -
ASJ
PS- above is also my order of preference (otherwise we end up forgettingpedestrians as always). I also wrote yesterday to IRC sec gen requesting they make available their publications to aam janata (otherwise what is the use, they hardly must be making any profits on this anyway, justice will be done to their work by sharing it freely - can more of you send requests too secretarygen@irc.org.in )
www.driving-india.blogspot.com
SB:In no particular order,
SB:
In no particular order, some other items that came to my mind...
Ravi
Understanding Transportation & Traffic
specs for what is laid below, and on the sides
At the meeting with the expert panel, I had specifically brought up the matter of codes for the various types (and widths) of roads, detailing clearly the specifications for providing the various service lines. Apparently, the BMP is blank on this aspect, with even the experts not having applied their minds to it. As far as the present lot of repairs are concerned, there's nothing to be done now, though, I would have preferred their doing a minimal 'motorabilising' job now, and, after drawing up the codes, doing a thorough job. For want of a proper set of codes, the service line ductings have not been provided properly, and you are landing up with the kind of diggings that was front-paged in yesterday's papers. These are inevitable, the difference this time being that you will need pneumatic drills to cut through the half metre of compacted aggregates, as compared to the earlier pick-axe usage. They have supposedly laid some ductings, but I am fairly certain they are not usable. All in all, a lot of money seems to have gone down the drain. What I would now suggest is to request Mr R K Misra to get the BMP to engage proper consultants to draw up these codes in a time-bound manner, and insist that all future jobs are carried out in accordance with them.
Muralidhar Rao
Where is the petroleum cess going?
According to Bhushan Narang, president of Bharat Petroleum Dealers’ association, Bangalore needs 600 tankers of fuel every day. Every tanker load has 12,000 litres which means Bangalore consumes 72 lakh litres every day. That also means Bangaloreans pay Rs 72 lakh per day as infrastructure cess or Rs 262.8 crore per year. Isn’t it time the city ploughed back more revenue into improving roads? For more, click on:
http://epaper.timesofindi...
Muralidhar Rao
Can we set the ball rolling
TS, MR, SB, others
Can we start somewhere. My vote is for footpaths. If we have more people, sub-groups can start of 3 or 4 issues.
I totally agree, civic staff have no clue. Many PMC staff in Pune have been to trips abroad, how many have returned to implement one project which can be called half decent.
In Pune these guys talk (my personal experience) about wide footways with cycle lanes on them (ekdam europe jaisa karenge) and then end up making footpaths not even 3 feet wide.
Specs, standards are a good place to start. In reality we will have to adapt to what is practically possible. But as specs have safety first approach in built in them, at least we will be able to stop lillogical and irrational or unsafe putting up of medians.
Juste yesterday someone wrote to me, in Pune they want to remove a pedestrian crossing and install a divider - why - because motor vehicles are using it for taking U turns - this is exactly where a staggered pedestrian crossing can be used with great effect (but our decision makers behave and think as if such a concept does not exist).
ASJ
www.driving-india.blogspot.com
Entropy
Entropy @ Cariappa Road.
Example Entropy Based Solution
Form &Functionality
Lanes
-Shastri
Brilliant work
TS,
Brilliant stuff. Its such fundamentals that our planners habitually forget (and we all pay the price).
Do send this to Municipal Authority (I will hate to see this effort wasted).
Cheers,
ASJ
www.driving-india.blogspot.com
Lack of awarenesss about lanes/rules and broken window syndrome
Time to meet Mr Sood again?
Great suggestion tarle
TS,
Great idea. One thing to manage is the 6 lanes (2+2+2) merging into 4 down. That is another cause of disorder.
Time to put in my idea. Pedestrian refuge-cum-traffic streamliner. I will send you a crude image (your image modified). Please help post
Srivathsa
Drive safe. It is not just the car maker which can recall its product.
Getting the right perspective
Often when faced with above entropies, one bog standard reason for failure and helplessness given to us or presumed by many is 'blame it on our population'.
India is second largest producer of 2 wheelers (behind China), sell ~ 7 million units a year, expected to sell 10 million / year by 2010. But - India has only 31 two-wheelers per 1000 citizens (2004) http://www.automobileindia.com/two-wheelers/statistics/sales.htmlEven when vehicular population of Delhi and Mumbai double in 10 years time, the density is likely to be much lower than Western countries.
That a car (even a Nano is 5 feet x 10 feet) takes space of 2-3 two bikes, means in countries like UK there is much greater competition per square inch.
In short, the blame it on population theory is useless and does not contribute to entropy.
Entropy on our roads is caused by everything else (and other factors including driver training) that has been brought up through examples in this thread.
ASJ
Unless otherwise specified, source is Wiki
www.driving-india.blogspot.com
shas3
doc
sri
Roads Not Built for Cars but used for Cars
Most of the roads in Bangalore are so narrow. It was probably just built to handle 2 wheelers and bicycles. These roads are being used by cars today. Many cars are parked on either sides of these narrow lanes.
Very few localities like Jayanagar can handle the car traffic. If we travel from Jayanagar towards Hanumanthnagar,Bank Colony, NR Colony, Tyagarajnagar we can clearly notice. Localities like Srinagar, Thyagarajnagar, NRColony and Hanumanthnagar is densly populated with many small houses with very narrow roads whereas localities like Jayanagar is not as densly populated as these localities, also roads are wider. It is easier to drive car in Jayanagar and becomes a night mare near Thyagarajnagar, Srinagar. It is comfortable to drive 2 wheelers in these high density areas. This makes us to think cycles could be even better than 2 wheelers for these kind of roads and the road can handle much more higher density of people movement.
its probably fluid D more than Thermo D
Shas3, Tarle, we borrowed the term entropy from ThermoD as the term fits - disorder. Its a disorder that increases if you lower the pressure (less enforcement) and increase the volume (more width on the road). :)
Ideal traffic flow needs to be laminar - layered or "laned", sort of like one layer flowing on top of another. But, unless layers or lanes are honored, or if the flow has constraints (rough edges of channel, sharp curves) we get turbulence (or erosion!).
Traffic management too finds beautiful analogy in the way they manage river flows. A traffic jam is parallel for a flood, or rise in water levels. Build dams at short short intervals, you get manageable rise (jams) in levels in rainy season (peak hours). If you build just one or two big God-damn dam(s) every 500 kilometers, you'd better be ready to sacrifice few thousand villages to hold the backwaters in rainy season.
Okay, I better stop. Photoyogi is off these days, or he'd have given analogies from network management as well.
regulation around Vidaha Soudha
submitted by ssheragu
yesterday I came across a news item in DH that Mr. Bidari, Polce Commissioner, is planning to introduce / suggest a legislation that for any new building within a radius of 5 Kms around Vidhana Soudha, NOC should be obtained from Police. This way Plice will ensure that if the building were to worsen the traffic in that area, the building will not be allowed to come up. or they will make sure that the building follows the regulation for parking space. set back etc. so that it does not spoil the traffic or serenity in that area; on repeated questioning, he buckled & reduced the radius from 5 Kms to 3 Kms and said that it will apply only to big buildings.
actually Mr.Bidari is correct; in fact he should ensure that this applies not only for a radius of 5 Kms around Vidhana Soudha, but a radius of 50 Kms around Vidhana Soudha (that is the whole of Bangalore) and it applies for all buildings, residential or commercial, however small or big
is it possible for any Praja member to get his contact number or e-mail so that we can get in touch with him; alternately is it possible for Praja Transportation WG to arrange a meeting with him
we Praja should grab this opportunity
Thanks
Srinath Heragu
Continuity
Reg. Continuity.
"You can always use
Where RTO officials act like highwaymen
The check-post had been raided by the Lokayukta officials at least six times earlier. Alert motor vehicle inspectors always managed to get wind of the impending raids and cleaned up the place. But on Sunday, they were taken unawares as the Lokayukta team took a roundabout route and reached the check-post on foot.
Lane width and entropy
Not sure but suspect this is ture in most Indian cities, including Bangalore. It is caertainly the case in pune. Often, lanes are not marked, but when they are, I have noted they are too wide (almost 10 feet or over 3 meters - see pics in posts by TS above). In contrast, in UK, lane width is 2.5meters.
The point I am making is that we create lanes wide enough to allow a car and two wheeler (or even a rick) to sit side by side at junctions. The moment the lights turn green, honking begins and chaos ensues as the race to move in front of the adjacent vehicle within the lane begins.
ASJ
www.driving-india.blogspot.com
Even after BTRAC-2010
Even after BTRAC-2010 driven changes, I think we have not seen much improvement in managing entropy. Yes, more signage, more lane markings, better levels of enforcement have been visible changes. Also, better pavements (work in progress now). But signs are unclear, not placed well enough, and parking enforcement levels have not changed much.
Time to revive the subject of entropy, and will be great to review the BTRAC-2010 project - how do we measure its ROI?
Yes, it is 2010, and BTRAC project is slated to complete this year.
BTRAC a waste
Yes, more signage, more lane markings
Lane markings have been unscientific irregular and generally useless across the city. No 2 lanes on the road are the same or even matching to any specs. They are marked with snaking borders. Take the corridor from MG Road to hebbal flyover. Lane markings are absent in most stretches and where they exist they do not have any aim or signage to indicate why they exist. If they do come up they will be rangoli only. It has been this way since BTRAC started and I see no change. Its like as though the engineers do not know how to hold a measuring tape from one lane to its adjacent.
Can B-TRAC introduce lane discipline in Bangalore?
One important thing that is absent in Entire India, particularly in Bangalore is lane discipline and uniform speed maintenance. We often see zig zag driving especially by the cabbies.
Can B-TRAC introduce some sort of discipline in it and also offend those people who delay the traffic unnecessarily (empty autos, goods vehicles, parked vehicles etc)..
First Step?
Not sure how much money was spent on the project. B-TRAC did some good. More or less consistent signage showed up where there was none. Newer pedestrian crossing cum speed breakers came up around the city (was it a B-TRAC thing?). Much argued about median dividers certainly brought some sense of order on quite a few roads (and some headaches too). Cameras, control center... quite a few new items and ideas.
Not trying to say everything went well. We all know this could all be done much better with some more effort, planning, coordination and better execution control.
But for starters, the baseline has gone up a notch for the next phase. It us okay to have smaller ROI on the first go. But would be criminal not to do much better on the next.
So, here is my dream: As end of one campaign approaches, BTP gets busy with 'lessons learned' sessions and planning the next phase. Apart from internal debates, BTP completes the feedback loop by consulting all stakeholders - and especially concerned citizens.
Come on BTP. Don't disappoint us here.
BTrac - Atleast some beginnings
I agree with Ravi - some improvements are noticeable. Traffic cameras & the remote traffic monitoring centre have reduced the no. of traffic violations. Some improvemnt in road manners on the streets is also visible. Signage too, as Ravi mentioned.
However, street paint markings at pedestrian crossings & traffic signals continue to be ignored at almost all locations - noticed this at Corporation /Hudson circle, JC road /Minerva /Bharat talkies, around Jayanagar shopping complex, Shivajinagar & in Majestic /Gandhinagar areas. Jay-walkers are the norm & are very impatient. They never wait for a green & keep dodging vehicles.
The cost for BTRAC was said to be 350 crs.
Marginally better
Some improvements I have seen in Bangalore over 3 years.
a. More roads have lanes marked. Even roads in residential areas have lanes marked and edges marked. However no arrows at junctions. Lane widths also need some rationalization.
b. Dividers have come up on busy stretches.
c. Signage - marginal. Still not enough signage on directions.
d. Adherence to lights - improved significantly. When people stop at Arekere Gate at 8:00 a.m. you know things have improved.
e. Honking at lights when the lights turn green has reduced a fair bit. Now it's mostly the yellow boards. Is this because of BTRAC - I don't know.
f. Good amount of crackdown on drunken driving. Again when I see cops checking at 1:00 a.m. you know they are at least trying hard.
I hope they continue and crackdown hard on yellowboards - who seem to go from bad to worse.
Srivathsa
Drive safe. It is not just the car maker which can recall its product.
T-Rex RTO
We often see zig zag driving especially by the cabbies. Can B-TRAC introduce some sort of discipline in it
This is RTO territory and this dinosaur has been the same since time immemorial. The computer weilding technicians seems almost like an ugly wig on an old woman who are the aged retiring workers. Nothing but a complete and total outsourcing will help this useless monolith.
My experience with RTO is fresh from last week and not pleasant at all. I will leave that story for later.
BTRAC & Road engineering
B-TRAC did some good...
some improvements are noticeable...
Some improvements I have seen in Bangalore...
Let me rephrase... BTRAC efforts towards Road engineering and Geometry has been a failure. Apart from some paint on the roads where roads have already been built evenly, you will notice where the road widths are uneven the painters, have been equally confused and lost.
RTO Outsourcing
Nothing but a complete and total outsourcing will help this useless monolith.
Based on pre-determined levels of quality for certification, no. of certifications, & additional incentives based on actual stats as proof for improvements on the streets, such as reduction in accidents, reduction in the no. of violations, etc.
But then, who is to enforce these ? The same old woman with a wig who will take bribes & fudge figures !
Somebody else
But then, who is to enforce these ? The same old woman with a wig who will take bribes & fudge figures !
How about BMLTA? Or some coordination committee? Or a private consultant like E&Y etc who can advise not just the process but also follow thru with implementation of the same. The payment should be tied to the success of the new young lady they will create.
Politics will spoil it
Take it higher - quite right, but there might be obstacles.
Private carrier owners, bus /truck drivers, taxi owners /drivers, autos - these groups will go on strike as costs will rise up & their present driving techniques will be seriously challenged. It might be seen as "use of force" - & might not be politically easy to go through with. The ruling class will thus try to avoid such hard decisions.
Why will the costs rise?
Naveen, I would bet that overall cost will come down if the job of figuring geometry and painting and installing signboards is simply outsourced with clear quality criteria.
As it is our RTO and traffic police keep complaining that they don't have enough resources to do their core job. Why spend any resources at all on painting and measuring type of work? Release the quality specs, outsource measurable chunks of work, set a date, and just watch it happen.
We keep complaining about shortage of quality skills for govt/administrative/public work. Unless you create demand, how will you get supply? Outsource more to build an ecosystem of quality suppliers. If your tender asks for painters, you will get painters. If your tender asks for 3 kilometer stretch of world class road with IRC signages and standards, you will get something close that. Check BTRAC tenders and see what they have been asking for (mostly).
It just needs a change of mindset. In this case (traffic management), open it up, and you will see start-ups building smart self-managed mesh of traffic signals, automated lane marking vehicles, satellite imagery based traffic junction management, and what not. Keep it closed and old fashioned, and you will have amateurs like you and me cooking up ideas, or enthusiast pro-bonos like X and Y feeling good about doing solid work with RTO/traffic police while people like Mr Sood play lone warriors in their departments (yaaru illa who understands all this well, remember?)
Possible, yes, but not simple
It just needs a change of mindset
This is where we seem to be stuck. Mindsets will not change easily when there are economic hardships. Day to day living needs dominate for very large sections of the populace, & they will refuse to change if it results in even short term losses. They do not care about tomorrow - today is far more important, if not now. This perhaps is one of the main reasons why people tend to circumvent anything & everything possible. To save on bucks that are hard to earn - they must reach their destinations as soon as possible - every time, else it might result in lost opportunities !
As regards cost increases - there are two or possibly three important factors. An increase in quality levels would translate to higher costs (all other things remaining same). However, an increase in volume or an increase in efficiency will obviously result in reduced costs.
We know that RTOs operate very inefficiently with low quality, whilst they have the volumes.
If private firm/s are roped in, quality & efficiency are expected to improve, but they will not initially have volumes (they will all be starting afresh from zero), & setting up investments will need to be recovered. Thus, they will try to overcharge the initial set of customers. However, as things progress, costs will come down because efficiencies would be very high & volumes would also increase, but how they charge would depend on various factors. If there are no checks & balances or no other competition, they would obviously try to overcharge !
Blackberries are back
All traffic officers upto the rank of Assistant Sub-Inspector getting black berry and bluetooth-supported printers today, city traffic police will move into a paperless regime of enforcement.
Click here for full text of the article.
Wonder why planners don't see
Wonder why planners don't see the convalescence from NM (construction phase) to completion as affording us a great chance to make a paradigm shift in street architecture and engineering... and so take us from this.... (source: DH)
to this...
----
TM
@TM: Simple things innit?
@TM: Simple things innit? The only hope is to make a detailed drawings for each case and take it to the AE and work long and hard on the details. There is no other way. The generic instructions arent getting thru.
Nice Pic TM
TM, IDS, Tarle (if you are still reading this) Carry or revive this entropy discussion via a new thread? Things have changed in 2 years, see some footpath work at least in some localities, some junctions have been improved via signals, flyovers have certainly fallen out of flavor, and we have at least some road signs and lane markings due to BTRAC. I would say may be 10% reduction in entropy has been achieved over last 2-3 years.
Things have changed in 2
Things have changed in 2 years
I agree, on the pedestrian side, the raised ped crossings are showing up in more places. The audible beeps @ signals helps everybody (not just visually impaired) that the ped signal is working. I just hope when they increase the ped green man sign from 12 to 20 secs on wide roads they include a flashing green man for 5-8 seconds to indicate those beginning to cross to not start the crossing. I am never able to guess how long the sign has been on before I got there and get stuck in the middle of the road. It can be dangerous for older peds as my parents found out. But sidewalks are coming up only around some localities. Most of Bangalore has only got drain covers to protect drains from clogging, not to aid people to walk.
On the traffic side I have been able to spot more people stopping at intersections & giving way to the main road traffic, or when turning right to wait for a break in oncoming traffic, the roundabouts are still messy though. Lanes are adhered to if there is less traffic but at signals & crowded times the lane markers are totally ignored. Traffic is a lot organized than 3 years ago but roads have gone bad to negate the improvement. I am see lesser 2 wheelers. Seems to have gone down a bit cant be too sure.
CMH Road
The pictures are nice. The second picture shows 'widened foot path'. Is this a wishful thinking?
As it is, Mr. Praveen Sood has annonced that this road will be opened for two-way traffic from Nov.1st.
It is still incomplete without proper 'widened' foot paths, in spite of representations to BBMP and BTP. They probably will wait for some serious accidents to pedestrians before thinking about foot paths, crossings etc. in this road with heavy pedestrian traffic due to shops and the new Metro station.
K.V.Pathy
CMH rd sidewalks non existent
What does this mean for pedestrians ? Who are these passengers ? Are they bus passengers ? With almost non-existent sidewalks along the road & no parked vehicles, their hardships will worsen since moving vehicles will leave them exposed to more danger & even less room than if there were vehicles parked.
I think they should increase the width of sidewalks substantially first before allowing any traffic on the road.
RECLAIMING PEDESTRIAN SPACE IN DELHI
Interesting article
http://epaper.livemint.com/artMailDisp.aspx?article=13_10_2010_012_001&typ=1&pub=422
K.V.Pathy
Nice article
Great that Delhi's pedestrian facilities are being thought of. When will bangalore do it ? Hopefully, the arrival of Metro will bring about a shift in thinking & attention shifts away from cars & roads & flyovers.