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Video 5: The Zebra Belongs To The Pedestrians Indian driver's are known to not follow rules. Worse still,they show no respect to a fellow human - the pedestrian. Most driver's fail to stop at the zebra crossings for the pedestrians. Perhaps this video will encourage the Indian driver's to follow the rules i.e. The Zebra belongs to the pedestrians and bring about a much needed cultural change on Indian roads.
Video 4: At red lights, there are NO FREE left turns Fourth in the series of driver education, this video emphasizes the fact that at red lights there is no FREE Left turn. This short video hopefully will educate and eradicate such mis-conceptions from the minds of the Indian driver's. This is vital as the idea of a free left turn puts pedestrian lives at risk.
At Signals Stop behind Stop Lines The world wide web has many video's on driving in India. Most show how driver's fail to follow the basic rule of stopping behind the stop line at signals. Following this rule is vital for pedestrian safety. This video, a third in the series providing driver education, hopefully will provide the required role-modelling as well as the evidence of benefits of following this rule.
The second video introduces the principle of: Mirrors, Signal and Manoeuvre.
The concept is explained within the context of driver actions such as- Moving Off, Pulling Over, Reversing Round the Corner and turning Left or Right.
The first video creates awareness about Blindspots. This awareness is vital during changing lanes and overtaking. अंधेस्थान का ख़याल रखे
We at praja have been discussing a lot of topics related to traffic management and infrastructure. However, all said and done, with all the systems and infrastructure in place, the most critical aspect of road safety is still about everyone on the road driving responsibly. In a world where Indian driving has been notorious and even a matter of ridicule, there are still some folks out there who believe that the future can be improved by developing adequate awareness among the people.
We take pleasure in introducing you to one such commendable effort by Dr. Adhiraj Joglekar who has been developing educational videos on how to drive better and safe.
Kheny Seeks To Meet Governor... Ashok Kheny, managing director of Nandi Infrastructure Corridor Enterprise, has sought an appointment with Governor Rameshwar Thakur. Kheny, who was in the City to attend the exhibition of idols of Jain Thirthankaras told the media that he would be meeting the Governor shortly.
Flogging a dead and decomposing horse here. Went for a drive to Yelahanka yesterday on some work. For me the real issue is not the lack of an expressway to the Airport. The 6 laned NH-7 IMHO is adequate to take today's traffic and probably for another 3 years. It is the roads leading to the exit of the city in the north that need attention.
"While Indian IT managers stood fourth on the ten lowest paying countries with an average salary of $25,000, Vietnam topped the list with a meagre average salary of $15,470, followed by Bulgaria and Philippines averaging at $22,240 and $22,280 respectively.
A "whats next" type discussion has been pending for sometime now, how about we start one. To kick it off, here are the two broad thoughts what got us started in the first place:
=> Need for a platform to enable citizens to be activists in their areas of concern and interest. Platform as in enable and equip, with information, pointers, complaint numbers, contacts of relevant people, success/failure stories and alike.
=> Try to utilize the power of Internet to build a big and strong community. We realize that if easy and online ways of activism are made available, there will be better participation because the reality of present times is - most of us are not willing to give these things serious personal effort and time.
Remember this interesting call for expression of interest that appeared on BBMP website earlier this year (here):
"BBMP intends to create a road net work above the main storm water drain wherever feasible ... total length of primary and secondary drain net work is 250 km spread over the entire city."
Demolitions have been making news every other week, looks like BBMP is going to keep their razors up even after the rains are gone.
Papers report today (online link unavailable) that BBMP is set to demolish parts of the club-house of Koramangala National Games village. It was reported earlier that the club-house was situated atop Raja Kaluve.
I found this news report - Portions of nine buildings demolished in Puttenahalli - interesting for the last paragraph it carries.
Widening Bangalore-Bellary Road or shifting bottle necks?
Any one who has come towards North Bangalore must have surely experienced the Hebbal flyover. Though normal by international standards, but by Indian and more specifically Bangalore standards it is a nice piece of work and the most scenic part of the journey is the view of the Hebbal Lake on the left. As some one who has seen and stayed in the north part of Bangalore much before the flyover came into existence, I must confess the construction was never delayed and it came up just about the right time, unlike other structures in Bangalore which come up much after the need is felt. But are the things really rosy?
Everybody going in every possible direction on Outer Ring Road between Intel office and Sarjapur Road. A very good representation of Bangalore Traffic as it is today - in absence of any enforcement, we form our own rules, and mind you we don’t do a bad job of it either. Don’t let the chaos visible in this picture distract you, we eventually manage to reach our destinations :)
And yes, there is a cop in the picture as well, try find him.
The Comprehensive Traffic and Transportation Plan(CTTP) - which is the result of a 15-month city wide survey of traffic patterns in the city - is a crucial prerequisite to get a lot of projects under JNNURM approved. Even otherwise, it marks a beginning towards systematically addressing Bangalore's traffic problems. It is finally going to be released next week. And Bangalore is the first city in the country to come out with it. Go Bangalore!!
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