After reading everyone's Bus Day experiences in these posts, I felt we can have two approaches:
Consolidated Shuttle Routes
1. Take an efficient company's shuttle route of EC(Probably Infosys), ITPL (BMTC ITPL Shuttle bus) and ORR companies shuttles which usually picks up from all the possible areas. Consolidate them to have few common routes to run buses at 15 minute frequency during peak hours and 30 minute frequency during non-peak hours.
For example Eastern and North Eastern connectivity to EC and ORR companies can be merged just like the 505 Volvo.Southern ITPL, ORR and EC buses can be merged like 500K, where in which one can changeover to EC Big10 in Silkboard or 356 series buses or buses from North Eastern corridor like 505. We can have link from Multiplex and Silkboard to Koramangala companies via IRR.
Ordinary JNNURM low floor buses (but should be uncrowded by making passes not allowed and a premium fare) to connect with trunk routes operating using Volvos and Marcopolos.
Circular Loops approach
2. Second approach is to have various loops, Big Circle Full Circle with a frequency, local loops to Big Circle with a common ticketing seperate for Volvo and ordinary.
ITPL Loop can run betwee Multiplex to ITPL. Big 10 and 356 can provide EC Connectivity. A Shuttle from Multiplex to BTP, a shuttle connecting Silkboard to Inner Koramangala Comapanies, a shuttle at Nayandahalli to Global Village.
We can also have the inner ring which I recently posted. Loops can be merged with that too.
I will put a consolidated map when I get time shortly. All we need to have is a frequency of the loops and shuttles to be consistent and probably with the ability to Track them.
Companies such as BTP should also provide shuttles from the major nearest bus stations.
Forward this Blog entry
Comments
Map on Circular Loops Approach
I have created a map of Big Circle Ring, Middle Ring + Local Shuttles with local shuttle pickups. I created directly on google for ease. Map link
I don't know current setup of clubbed big 10. My suggestion is Mysore Road - Airport Road Clubbed Big 10, Bannerghatta Road - OMR Clubbed Big 10, Hosur Road - Bellary Road Clubbed Big 10.
BTP Loop is present connect middle loop and big circle loop.
Innovative Multiplex to ITPL Loop Local Shuttle. I could not put the EC local loop. I will add the same once get time.
Airport Road Big 10 should be extended to ITPL for convenience to minimize the hops as well as fare.
OMR Big 10 should connect to ITPL. Infact being rigid saying direction oriented and having it only on the road ment such as airport road big 10 meant only for airport road will cause inconvenience to many.
Request all you to review the same.
All the localities are connect to KBS. These buses will hit outer or middle circle somewhere. It can be utilized.
Good.. but South-West...
Vasanth,
You have made two important points - Consolidated Shuttle routes and Circular Loops approach. I tend to agree in principle to both the points. I will restrict my thoughts to the Circular loops part here..
Its indeed good to see the proposal on 'Middle Circle'. This route is long overdue.
I sense that in a couple of months the new/short Magadi Rd-Mysore Rd ring road will be completed. Then, the Big circle will have to take this road. Its just stupid to have Kengeri on the trunk Circle. Its a long way off in the South-west for the route to be called a 'Circle'. Once the new road is open, the Kengeri-->Deepangali Nagar --> Vijaynagar -->Magadi Road --> BU(Old Ring Road) --> Kengeri can be a high-density fast moving feeder.
Again, staying on with the South-west (where both of us live!!), I dont agree that the Middle Circle should be as far off as the Big-Circle. In fact, in your proposal, this is the only section where the middle and Big circle take thesame road. I would rather say that the Middle Circle be taking the 60A route from Deepangalinagar to RK Ashrama (about 5.5kms) instead of this circuitous proposal (about 8kms).
-Srivatsava V
Interconnecting Big-10s
Well, we may have had this debate before. Interconnecting Big 10s is necessary. But I dont believe that clubbing two Big-10 routes to one is an effective way.
Presently, the Big 10's run from the outskirts of the city to the entrance of the CBD, all mostly on a single road. While this is good, most Big-10s are not connected to one another. the erstwhile HoHo was one attempt to connect them, and I am happy that it failed miserably.
The more sensible way to connect them is to extend the Big-10 routes so that they enter the CBD, cut-across the CBD and terminate at the far-end of the CBD. In doing so, we should be able to connect each Big-10 with every other Big-10 Bus. I applied this reasoning in coming up with this proposal. (You may find the drawing difficult to catch - I am not Narayan!!). Dont you also think that this is a better way of connecting Big-10s with one another?
-Srivatsava V
Middle-Circle connecting Metro Lines?
I was just wondering if the Middle circle should be a high-density feeder to the Metro, connecting the four wings of the Metro? Do you think there is a need for that?
Next do you see the middle circle as a way of connecting Big-10s. Should we optimise the middle circle route in that regard (connecting Big-10s). Or do yo believe that Middle circle can be dedicated trunk route in itself ferry people across the city?
-Srivatsava V
BBMP-BDA involvement in Big-Circle
BMTC can run buses on the Big-Circle routes. But the ring road is disjoint at a few small streches. and shares the radial trunk routes to provide the 'connectivity' between the disjoint sections. This map of yours makes it more obvious.
Take the Bannergatta Road section for example. the outer ring road from Banashakari connects to this road at JP Nagar 3rd Phase(near GD Mara signal). From there to Jayadeva Circle, the ring road traffic merges with the Banneragtta Rd traffic. These two points on B'gatta road are about 1 km apart. Jayadeva circle is faily fine because of the flyover, which allows signal-free right turn from B'gatta road into the Ring road.
BDA/BBMP should take this stretch on priority for widening, we cant have two trunk route traffic sharing same width of the road. Equally important is to have signal-free travel on the ring road and hence a grade-separator at GD Mara signal is a urgent need. As on today, the underpass construction at JP nagar is doing a very good job of keeping the ring road traffic minimal and hence the GD mara signal carries on the B'gatta road traffic. If the underpass gets opened, the signal will the a chaotic one with a km long jam on all the three spans of this T-junction.
I guess there is a similar problem on Old Mardas Road, with a disjoint ring road. Not sure how this is being mitigated.
-Srivatsava V
ORR @ OMR
I guess there is a similar problem on Old Mardas Road, with a disjoint ring road. Not sure how this is being mitigated.
Here is the suggested long term solution for the optimized ORR at OMR.
Thanks for the inputs
Thanks for the detailed analysis. Merging of middle route and outer route is for easier interchange. I found that people are very reluctant to change buses. They expect direct connectivity. Those only who regularly travel only are ready to keep moving by changing over buses especially those who have monthly or daily passes. It is good to route the Big Circle buses via the new stretch of ORR between Nayandahalli and Nagarbhavi. I think under bridge below Mysore track is not completed, not sure. This provides like a feeder to Metro from Nagarbhavi to Nayandahalli Station. Anyhow, there are so many buses from Kengeri to changeover to Big Circle or Middle Circle.
If we do not merge, one may have to make two hops instead of one hop and it becomes unattractive and uncomfortable. We can have another inner loop taking the 60A route. This should also merge with middle route somewhere. Multiple mergers may be more convenient, I thought it may be convenient if we could merge middle and outer loop somewhere near Silkboard, but, it was bit far off and increases the distance.People can use 60A as a pickup route and changeover to inner circle.
Middle circle route mostly serves as a Metro feeder too.BTP loop connecting inner circle can also act as feeder to CMH Metro Station.
Clubbing of OMR and Bannerghatta Road Big 10s is due to the reason that both of it connects to IT Corridor and in either way it will have commuters not leading to any loss even to BMTC.
Having too many varieties of Big 10, one ending till end and one covering 3/4th will confuse the commuters. It should be kept simple to avoid inconvenience and confusion to commuters.
What I need is someone to give suggestions on the North Eastern portion between OMR and Bellary Road for inner circle since I am not familiar with those localities.
Second is the crossing of Bannerghatta Road - OMR Road Big 10 via CBD and Hosur Road - Bellary Road Big 10 via CBD.
I think there is another loop needed to merge Inner Ring Road and Outer Ring Road between Airport Road and Sarjapur Road. so that inner circle commuters can travel to companies on ORR between Sarjapur Road and Marathalli.