Noticed 2 BDA tenders on Karnataka eprocurement portal that tell us that work is in progress for more flyovers on outer ring road (ORR). Tenders call for "project management and quality assurance" for
- ORR and 14th main of HSR layout
- ORR and Bellandur
- ORR and Devarabesanahalli
- ORR at Kalyananagar junction
- ORR and Veerannapalya junction
- Cross road at Hennur junction
Well, good going as far as keeping the promise of converting ORR to an corridor/expresssway is concerned. However, I am keen to know more about the proposed public transport amenity on ORR - the BRT system. We saw BRT lanes were marked in the designs for the flyovers in progress on ORR/Sarjapur road junctions. Why is no concrete work planned for BRT on ORR yet? I would say this is the time - engage a BRT consultant right now while these floyovers/underpasses are being built.
I have this half suspicion that BRT lanes are being shown on ORR flyover designs for "on-paper" complaince with NUTP guidelines. Lets hope these suspicions aren't true, and the intention is serious and real.
Pasting the tender titles from eproc website, just in case I made any copy paste errors above:
- BDA/EE(SplD-LPD)/TEN/2009-2010 - Consultancy services, for Project Management and Quality Assurance for • Construction of Flyover along ORR at Kalyananagar Junction. • Construction of Flyover along ORR at Veerannapalya Junction. • Construction of Grade separator with flyover along ORR & underpass for the cross road at Hennur Junction. Package-3, as per detailed Terms of Reference in Section 4 Page No. 24 to 27 of Bid documents for the entire construction period including extended period if any till final bill of the contracting agency is settled including renumeration, report, documentation, taxes, etc., complete (excluding service tax, which will be paid at prevailing rates).
- BDA/EE(SplD-LPD)/TEN/2009-10 - Consultancy services, for Project Management and Quality Assurance for • Construction of Flyover along ORR at the junction of ORR & 14th main of HSR layout. • Construction of Flyover along ORR at Bellandur Junction. • Construction of Flyover along ORR at Devarabesanahalli. Package-1, as per detailed Terms of Reference in Section 4 Page No. 24 to 27 of Bid documents for the entire construction period including extended period if any till final bill of the contracting agency is settled including renumeration, report, documentation, taxes, etc., complete (excluding service tax, which will be paid at prevailing rates).
PS: Map feature is temporarily broken on this website, or else I'd love to mark out these points on ORR.
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Other big issue - Silkboard and BTM layout
Imagine all this traffic from Hebbal, ITPL and the elevated expressway finding their way to Silkboard Jn unhindered and then...unmitigated chaos.
I wonder if any study has been done on the impact of all this partial debottlenecking (I am being very kind here) on SIlkboard Jn.
I was reading in Citizen Matters that BBMP has notified owners along BTM and JP Nagar Ring Road on land acquisition per the 2005 CDP.
Srivathsa
Drive safe. It is not just the car maker which can recall its product.
Whither BRT ?
When the designs for flyovers at Agara & Iblur were out, there was no talk of implementation of BRT - just that provisions for bus lanes were being put in place. Thus, I was more or less certain that this was just a showpiece that would be forgotten soon.
I saw this tender on TOI today & just as SB mentions, wondered if BRT was finally being buried, once for all.
As yajman mentions, silkboard jn may see very long lines of "parked" vehicles, awaiting their turn to get past the signal, once ORR becomes signal-free, in addition to BETL & widening of ORR through BTM /JP Nagar.
All our policy makers belong to the old school of thought & worry about "loss" of road space to bus lanes when cities in china & elsewhere have adapted & used BRT so successfully.
With this line of thinking, pretty soon, there will be a fresh demand to further widen ORR to 8-lanes (& then 10 lanes!) & then add another flyover over the existing flyover at Silkboard !
BRT on ORR - when?
Naveen referred to Sanjayv's article on citizen matters - this one - http://bangalore.citizenm...
BRT on ORR was recently mentioned in mainstream media. Can't find link to newspaper reports, and can't find a relevant comment here on Praja. Our friend at bangalorebuzz has the article safe though. Read http://bangalorebuzz.blog...
Quoting the newspaper story via b-buzz blog:
As a first step towards this, chief minister BS Yeddyurappa on Friday laid the foundation stone for a Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) project to provide for a signal-free corridor from the Central Silk Board to the Hebbal Flyover junction, by building flyovers and underpasses at six junctions on the 31-km stretch of the ORR.
Okay, that what the latest tender is for. Great. But see this - and notice a figure - Rs 239.31 crore
"It is for the first time that a dedicated bus lane is being implemented on ORR. The BDA has the provision to provide a bus lane, which is also called Bus Rapid Transport System (BRTS) as part of the project. The bus lanes will come up at the all eight junctions along the ORR," said a senior BDA officer.
He added that the width of the bus lanes would be 3.5metres and would be provided on both sides of the road. The bus lanes would be implemented first on the ORR and later on the Peripheral Ring Road (PRR). The estimated cost of the work is Rs239.31 crore.
There is a clear figure mentioned, bus lane width mentioned (must have told a lot more to this reporter I guess). If there is a plan in the works, why is not being revealed in more details?
I have been buying most of the promises so far. But talk of Big10 corridor and signal free ORR with only lip service (so far) to prioratized public transport (dedicated lanes for Big10 and this BRT on ORR) is beginning to worry me.
Is truck traffic the problem?
Should highlight this old news report too. Hindu, Nov 2008 (http://www.thehindu.com/2...)
The corridor has been planned because of the real estate development between Central Silk Board and Hebbal. “About one lakh flats are coming up. We expect the corridor to be of use to over a million commuters,” Mr. Gowda said.
Okay, very timely realization, get some idea of the number projections for this BRT.
But?
Even though the project is only on the drawing board, it seems to have run into problems as the dedicated corridor cannot be implemented if the large numbers of trucks using the ring road are not diverted.
So - do we have to wait for PRR to be ready then?
Also noted in this news report is talk of special high speed buses:
The transport corporation will have specially-designed buses for the corridor as they will be ply at a higher speed than regular buses, said P.S. Sandhu, director, Security, Vigilance and Environment, BMTC.
Should ask Mr Sandhu next time any of us run into him.
BRT requires multiple agencies
SB:
Okay, so BDA did mention bus lanes on ORR possibly bacause they (BDA) built the ORR in the first place, & are also building the new grade separators. Thus, they are now talking of making provisions & will probably go on & build the bus lanes as well.
Who will actually operate the BRT, if it is actually being taken up ? Operation of BRT would require multiple agencies - BDA, Traffic Police & BMTC, at the very least.
BMTC has not signalled any BRT intentions yet, nor have traffic cops. So, as you mention, nothing is clear.
a more recent article
DNA had a news article. This is from the date that Yeddy "inaugurated" the project. Since I work right at Devarabeesanahalli junction, I remember this event and the date vividly. There was even a "town crier" like guy at the junction banging on a drum and announcing the CMs appearance to all and sundry.
http://www.dnaindia.com/bangalore/report_buses-to-lord-it-over-orr-soon_1268958
I would say that the BRT is ON. Unfortunately, looks like another piecemeal attempt, prima facie. BRT needs a lot of agencies to work together to be succesful, as already noted by others.
BRT Only at Junctions !
Thanks Sanjayv - The news item quotes following details, but does not mention anything about bus lanes on the road itself. This suggests that they are making the necessary provisions for BRT at intersections (which will be impossible later, if not done at building stage itself). They also talk about it every now & then since these provisions are being made, but do not seem too serious about implementing it.
What will come up at six junctions now on 31-km stretch of ORR:
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HSR-14th Main Junction
A flyover with a width of 10 metres each on both sides will come up at this junction.
The flyover will span a length 270 metres.
Approach roads will run up to a length of 160 metres on one side and 149 metres on the other.
Dedicated bus lanes on either side will be 3.5 metres wide. A 5.5-metre wide service road will be provided on both sides.
Bellandur Junction
A flyover with a width of 12 metres each on both sides will come up at this junction.
It will be 315 metres long.
Dedicated bus lanes on both sides will be 3.5 metres wide
Service roads will be 5.75 metres wide.
The approach roads will be 132 metres and 239 metres long.
Devarabeesanahalli junction
A flyover will be built with a width 12 metres on both sides
Its length will be 315 metres.
Dedicated bus lanes on both sides will be 3.5 metres wide.
5.5-metre service roads will be provided on both sides with 1.5-metre wide drains.
Approach roads will run up to a length 59 metres and 162 metres on both sides.
VeerannaPalya junction
The flyover will be 10 metres wide on both sides.
It will span a length of 335 metres.
Dedicated bus lanes will be bi-directional and each 3.5 metres wide
Service roads will be 5.50 metres on each side.
Underpass towards Kalyan nagar
The underpass will provide for bidirectional traffic flow with each of the two sides measuring 9.25 metres wide.
Dedicated bus lanes will be 3.5 metres wide on eachside.
Three medians with a total width of 35.50 metres to accommodate powerline.
Kalyan nagar junction
The flyover will be 8.5 metres wide on each of the two sides.
The flyover will run up to 295 metres length.
Dedicated bus lanes of 8 metres will be provided with a median.
Service roads will be 5.50 metre wide on either side with 1.50-metre-wide footpath/drain.
Approach roads will be 59 metres and 162 metres long.
Hennur junction
Underpass towards Nagawara will be 9.25 metres wide on each side.
Dedicated bus lanes to be 3.5 metres wide in each direction.
6.60-metre median for power line.
The obstacle may be truck traffic on ORR
SB mentioned this, & I'm also of the same opinion. Unless these are removed from ORR, BRT may be difficult. So, now we wait for PRR - maybe another five years or more !
BRT/yes or no?
Okay Naveen, point taken. So how do we find out what the plans are? BRT along the road is a fundamental change in architecture of the road. Is there someone we can talk to or would an RTI be required? There is nothing in the budget for FY 09-10 for an ORR modificastion. So any plans will have to be for the future I think.
For the Peripheral ring road however, they may have to comprehend BRT from the beginning. This will be fun to track. There was 75 crores allocated for the PRR last year, but not utilized (rather I think diverted to more politically expedient areas). This year the allocation is 70 crores. Maybe they would have a road design itself sort of ready by now? What do people know about this PRR project? How much planning has ben done? What does the road design look like? Who are the consultants / experts involved? 87 lakhs was spent for the PRR on '07-'08 and 1.5 lakhs in '08-'09. Does that look like a possible design/ studies fee?
BRT and trucks on ORR
The bus and the stops can come up nevertheless. Cant BRT service be run without physical barricade till PRR comes up? Mark the lanes up as priority for bus but usable by other traffic rest of the time. Physical demarcation can happen aytime later.
BRT - Intrusion a real problem
Cant BRT service be run without physical barricade till PRR comes up? Mark the lanes up as priority for bus but usable by other traffic rest of the time. Physical demarcation can happen aytime later.
Intrusion will be a major problem since traffic volumes, particularly the more easily manoeverable variety is too high (ie. autos & 2-wheelers).
Under the circumstances, it might be best to just offer some priority for buses at these intersections to pass at grade without having to go up & down on ramps, as is being planned.
This way, access to buses will improve greatly (with bus stops located at intersections).
Service Road / BRT ?
From Silkboard to Hebbal, it is definitely possible to have BRT because of the availability of 3 lanes. Service lane concept should not be considered, since it will take away one lane that can be used for the BRT. It is good for private especially slow moving 2 wheelers, but, as a whole it will take away one precious lane. BRT would have been possible on the Hosur Road, but with the service lane concept which is neither for pedestrains nor for vehicles, one lane is lost. Same is the case of ORR from Marathalli to KR Puram - For the time being traffic volume is low in this area, but will increase shortly. Service roads are used for parking trucks. Vehicles come in wrong side on service roads.
I was just thinking to have a debate on to have service road or BRT.
Fastest way would be to file a petition in court
That way the courts can decide how traffic has to improve. It will be fast. File a RTI and Petition together.
So now can we elect the courts?
I disagree with all this legislating from the bench approach being promoted in recent posts. This is not the way to solve problems for the long term. Over the last two days, there have been posts about supreme court passing a law to control high beam lights as well as velaboy's recent posts. I respectfully disagree. All our efforts should be to force our legislative process to find a solution to this problem.
Many laws and amendments are required that open up and empower local government, allocate resources to the right areas and improve transparency in all areas (RTI is just a very nominal tool. Some information should be provided without even having to ask. Infact, feedback should be actively solicited).
When a court is involved, the political process where all stake holders are heard and a reasonably acceptable solution is determined fails. Then we have blanket rules like "all taxis above 15 years of age banned". This process does not allow the hapless taxi driver to have a say and be provided an opportunity to adjust to new realities. There are multiple solutions that can be worked out that only a political process can provide.
Our legislators and executive are failing and we turn to overloaded judiciary for a solution?
BRT on ORR
In Agara junction for the past few months there has been a diversion on ORR because of the flyover construction.There is a separate diversion for bus/trucks and that for two wheelers, three wheelers, light motor vehicles.Until the point when you have both types of veichles there is a messy jam but after that traffic is streamlined.
I will probably try to get photos sometime to show what i am indicating. I think this is a another indication that BRT on ORR could work. Already, there is very high frequency of BMTC bus plying on this road. This coupled with the office cabs,buses cause the peak hour traffic jams. I think saving a separate lane for them would bring instant results.
Moi Blog -> kelarappakeli.blogspot.com/
BRT requires 2 dedicated Lanes
ORR is 3 Lanes. BRT would require to have 2 dedicated lanes which leaves only one lane for Other Vehicles. 2 Lanes for Buses are Required considering some of the buses are Slow Moving and Some Break Downs. I dont think that is BRT feasible option on ORR.
my feeling BRT would be slowly forgotton ... on this stretch.
Priority Lanes for Buses and Public
Having Said that,
Priority Lanes for all Govt Public Transport Buses (BMTC ), Private Buses , Car Poolers and High Occupancy Vehicles can be considered referring to the Picture posted above.
but Enforcement Against Intrusion may be major issue.
ORR-Hennur Rd BRTS Plan
Appears from this document that the ORR-Hennur Main Rd junction is to become a underpass-flyover combo with at-grade level being reserved for BRTS facilities and all right-turns... unless I'm reading the plans all wrong.
Attempting to host this on Scribd... will embed it here when it's up.
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TM
Tender notification on the TOI monday abt commuter conveniences
Hi,
I have seen this tender from BDA on monday in TOI.
http://epaper.timesofindi...
It talks about providing commuter conveniences such as pedestrian crossings (skyway, subway), bus-shelters, rest-rooms, road furniture, street lights from Nayandanhalli Junction to Silkboard junction.
The questions is - Do we really get to see all these things evers? or BDA first time floated this kind of tender? And how shall we track this, as how is this going for next 15 years?
Deepak
Ask for DPR or design
Ask for DPR or design drawing... BDA/BBMP always run behind BOQ paying scant respect to design or geometry. We need to insist they make the designs available publically or get it evaluated by a third party engineering firm for IRC adherence. We could insist on TOR compliance map in the DPR but the TOR itself is so generic that it is useless.
Bottomline BDA/BBMP should be held accountable for the lax approach to the engineering, cant blame vendor for doing a ham handed job.
PS: couldnt find this tender in eproc under BDA