KR Puram Bus Stand - Does it exist?

 This division of labour is just nonsense in a lot of situations. It is further complicated because stakeholders and their roles in any activity are not clearly defined. Nothing works for the benefit of the common man, everything is done for the satisfaction of internal squabbles and one upmanship.

Bus stands can be built by BMTC but BBMP and traffic police needs to be in the workflow to approve. EVERY decision needs to be documented and put up for public viewing.

I have read the posts about the lack of public shelters at major bus stops. While I agree that a shelter should be provided, I believe it is a waste for the following reasons:

1 - People never use shelters until it starts raining. People inevitably trickle, and overflow onto the roads. Only when it rains do people feel the need to use a shelter. A possible response to this is, "If there is a sufficiently big shelter, people will not stand on the roads." My answer is that that is generally not feasible given the limited space that we have in most of Bengaluru. Encroachment, refusing to sell space for construction of public amenities and so on are the main problems.

2 - Even if a shelter big enough for say, 50 people, is provided, there won't be any queue discipline. I am speaking out of my observation of almost every public place. The people in the last parts of the shelter will always look to jump spots or come out and wait for the bus so that they can get to board the bus at the earliest. Now people who were waiting there before these aren't just going to sit and accept it. They'll come out and wait too. Rain only brings about the 'discipline' in people.

3 - As for maps, true there should be maps. I'm not sure they'll be safe though. So long as people won't scribble "xyz lovesss abc" or "Jai %$#*@" it is worth investing on maps at stops.

I'm not a cynic but for those who have posted pictures of Bus stops or buses from outside India, should also know that in those places, people are not so indisciplined and destructive. I am presently living in Chicago. They have shelters at almost (not all) all stops. The shelter are small, accommodating about 6 to 10 people. But then the population is so less that such a size is sufficient. For stops where there is more crowd, shelters are the same size but the footpaths are big and people trickle but remain in the footpaths.

People, please change and become more disciplined. And yeah surely we deserve shelters and many more amenities. By all means request for one, but when comparing with different places, look at how the public there is, too!

I'm not sure the topics should be taken to a personal level as was seeming in the previous reply because I believe everyone's aim here is to improve their cities and contribute positively. No one (me) was/is offended as much by the pictures as by the reply. My motive in asking people to not blindly put up pictures from outside India just to compare is for people to improve. It'd please me more than anyone to know that our cities/people are developing.

Few interesting points to note in this discussion overall, because of which, I still maintain my ground:

1 - This is Domlur bus stop on the Airport road (towards Command Hospital). There is not as much crowd here as there is at other stops, esp the ones where people complained of lack of shelter. K R Puram is a bigger scale bus stop (population supported, routes supported). So going by this bus stop where people, even if there is less crowd, are more 'friendly', we can't extrapolate and say it'll work for K R Puram, say.

2 - The feasibility of maps wasn't disputed. The word was used for having a sufficiently big shelter for stops like K R Puram. I'd be interested to know the availability of space for a shelter to cover at least 20 people and a footpath. My house is in Kaggadaspura and I have been familiar with these issues for more than 5 years.

I am hoping that Metro will take a major load off the roads. Our buses cant take it anymore I feel. Unless we have a miraculous change in road space availability, we can't just bank on buses and frequency of buses for Mass transit.

 My motive in asking people to not blindly put up pictures from outside India just to compare is for people to improve.

Dont really get the point. I am surprised why some poeple try to prevent other people from posting pictures instead of trying to make their own point.

Nevertheless below picture is some destructive activity from a very disciplined society. One would think after the following incident happened authorities in that city would have removed all shelters terming the city as indisciplined and unworthy of any bus shelters or modern amenities.

Raingod sir, sorry to say this, but "our people need to be more disciplined" excuse mostly comes from either NRIs or Bureaucrats.

There are plenty of examples of decent bus shelters that are in use around Bangalore. And there are cities in India where people queue up at bus stands.

The "people are not good enough" thing is also a function of what furniture and signage you have put up to induce them. Yes, its always a chicken and egg, so our arguments can be never-ending.

However, I don't think many will agree with your statement that Bus'es can't carry Bangalore. Don't know if you are familiar with various issues - most of them low hanging fruits - around bus system in our city, but most experts agree that without fixing those bus system issues, even Metro is likely to fail - as in it would carry far lower numbers than projected.

And lack of basic bus transportation amenities is one big reason. Please join us in asking for it.

Now, to get out of the critic mode, and in praja mode - why is it that some roads have good bus shelters, but some roads or areas don't? Is it because:

• No single body is responsible for these amenities?
• KR Puram spot mentioned here is NHAI road, neither BBMP nor BDA, and the lack of responsibility issue plays out in much bigger way here?
• Could it be that money was spent on building a bus shelter, and we never bothered to check how the money was spent?

These are workable things, our indisciplene etc are not. Not that you are not right on somethings you said, but somethings have to come first, thats all.

Please do drop a mail to BBMP and BMTC asking about bus shelters at KR Puram. Worth to see their response at least.

Not sure why we start with this assumption that "why have bus shelters - people will anyway not use them".   Why should a person waiting for a bus have to suffer?  Just look at people waiting at Hebbal flyover for a bus or along NH7.  If some people want to stand in the sun or rain, up to them.  But this as much a nice-to-have as tarred roads.

WIll give you one more example.  The other night, my wife was returning from Brookefields and as it was raining asked me to pick her up from Jayanagar (she was taking a 500K/N Volvo).   So I reached 46th cross and just after Cafe Coffee Day (near the 11th Main/46th Cross intersection) there was a nice well lit bus stop.  So I went past it and saw no one.  I assumed that it was just that - no one waiting.  I assumed she had not reached and so went 50m ahead and waited for a Volvo.  A few mins and still no sign. 

Then I saw all buses stopping further ahead at 9th Main.  No shelter nothing.  Then I saw her walking towards the car and went and picked her up.  Why was this bus-stop in disuse?  I don't know.

How does one know where a bus stops - there will be one rickety tin board that says BMTC Stop. 

Srivathsa

 Here is a simple bus terminal capable of providing shelter to lot of passengers as well as taking in many buses. One long bus bay along the service road also can be used for this purpose. Bus stands need not necessarily mean small shelters. 

Here is another one where a small plot of land off the road has been converted into a bus stand with quick entry and exit.

Where there is a will there is a way

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BMTC Bus Shelters
It is heartening that BMTC will now own the Bus shelters (TOI- 18th Dec.).
Let them construct the shelters conforming to IRC norms after consulting the Traffic Police and the Commuters using the respective shelters/bus stops.

The existing shelters also may be renovated instead of demolishing them.
Shelters are badly needed at the following locations-
1. Domlur Bus Stand (which is under renovation and likely to take several months).
2.On Old Madras Road opp. to Indiranagar BMTC Depot (towards K.R.Puram).
3. Ulsoor Bus stops in both directions.
4.HAL II Stage 100ft. road at Doopanahalli towards Ulsoor.
 
K.V.Pathy