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?

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!!

Bangalore's peripheral areas all messed up? Blame it on Ribbon Development. Let me introduce you to a term very relevant to the congested sprawl that our city is witnessing. Simply put, Ribbon Development means building shops and houses along the roads radiating from a town. If you were to look at Bangalore from the skies and track recently laid or widened major arterial roads leading out of the city, you would notice that almost all big ticket construction/development happens solely along (rather right on top of) these roads.

Do me another favor. When on the periphery of Bangalore, try take a left or right out of any big radial road. This is most likely what you would see [pictures below]. Pathetic roads, poor quality of construction and even narrower streets if you were to venture into a "layout".