G1/Old Airport Road - corridor detail, files

SB,

Any chance of getting chapter nos.12 & 13 (Photos /Dwgs) of the DPR from Vinay ? We will need these to work on bus priorities.

stretch beyond Brigade road to Corporation circle --- I think bus priorities here will be very difficult within built up /CBD areas.

Due to one ways, the route to Corpn from Brigade rd (Vellara jn) is via Richmond.rd-RRMRoy.rd. On return, it can either be via Kasturba.rd-Mallya.rd-Residency.rd-Magrath.rd or Kasturba.rd-MG rd-Trinity.rd..

I think the DPR has also left out Vellara Jn, Mother Teresa /D'Souza Circle without improvements for the same reason. Further, Metro (in ph.2) is proposed to be routed past Vellara jn.

It should suffice to start bus priorities only from ASC centre onwards.

TM - single-lane ramps at signals for buses in both directions will result in frequent conflicts between buses in opposite directions (the volume of buses is very high along this route). This can possibly be resolved with boom barriers /signals to stop ascent of a bus when the lane is in use by bus traffic from the opposite direction as mentioned by you, but then, the junction will again become "signalized" for buses & will result in delays to the flow of buses. Thus, two lanes would be necessary.

For T-junctions, a single lane under /overpass on one side & a separate slip lane on the other side would be necessary as shown on the sketch above. Both can be planned on the kerb side to help with merging /demerging after & before the traffic junction, particularly since bus stops are normally located just before or immediately after a junction.

For a '+' (4-way) junction, a two-lane bi-directional under /overpass would be necessary if built at the median, or two single lane under /overpasses can be built separately at kerb sides, as shown on the sketch above - this option is much better since buses can flow more easily from bus stops directly to the ramps without changing lanes.

It is perfectly feasible to dedicate left lane on richmond road for buses -- I am very sure

A bus lane can be carved on any road, no doubt. One also needs to weigh & check if there are substantial benefits, whilst also considering the possible inconveniences. This apart, there are future plans -- Metro ph.2 is scheduled to go past Vellara jn & during the construction, it is likely that the intersection/s will become better streamlined with perhaps a flyover that is likely to span past some of the turn offs to right & left (an earlier attempt to build a flyover had been abandonned due to possibility of Metro).

Buses move in different directions when approaching the existing Richmond circle flyover. They either take the left lanes to turn left towards Lalbagh rd or take the right lanes when proceeding straight towards corporation or turning right on to Residency rd. Some take the flyover. Hence, placing a bus lane on the left (or anywhere, for that matter) does not fit in as buses will have to exit out from the lane well in advance & cross traffic lanes, thus disrupting traffic on the moving lanes.

Even if a bus lane is placed on the left for only left turrning buses, how much time will closing these points save for buses when traffic from these lanes turn left anyway ? What about various commercial establishments along the left which have entry gates facing the rd ? What about traffic that has to turn into these roads from Richmond rd - will they also not need vehicle actuated signals ? Is there really a need for a bus lane along a one-way that has no traffic signals at these turn offs ?

Let us concentrate on old airport rd for the present (from Trinity jn onwards), since there are no plans for this rd.

We should propose that the bus lane allow HOV/carpool vehicles, except they dont take the bus signal bypass and wait like rest of the private vehicles at the signals....Left can be marked for bus.....2nd left lane can be for the left turns into these streets.

First of all, we are not sure if bus priorities at signals on old airport rd will be bought by the authorities as a pilot project & whether it can be made to work beneficially. I suggest we go one step at a time as I mentioned, & not conclude what needs to be proposed for Richmond rd right away. For now, let us limit ourselves to old airport rd, which we know does not have pending proposals (other than signal-free project). We do not know what the Metro's ph-2 DPR proposes for Vellara jn. With developments slated there, I don't think we are in any position to propose what can be done.

Vehicle flow patterns (on Richmond rd) are also complex & assigning a second lane for left turning traffic may not work since the lane will have to be used initially by vehicles emerging from the smaller rds on the left before they turn right (or head straight). Since Langford & Residency rds are one ways in the opposite direction, vehicles turn into the smaller rds from these rds & join Richmond rd for short lengths before turning off again (to either right or left). This is particularly true during school rush hour times & during peak hours. This was why I had suggested median bus lanes on Residency /Richmond rd with exclusive use of the richmond circle flyover for buses since it offers possibilities for better solutions, but Mr Subramanya (BBMP commisioner then) had doubts if even this would work as the lane, if left open, would be transgressed too frequently with criss-crossing traffic. If closed or provided with boom barriers, it would immediately lead to pile ups behind stopped vehicles.

I thinks, there is enough land at Command hospital, Wind tunnel, Suranjan Das, Yamalur, T junctions

Wind tunnel & Suranjandas rd T-jns have very long traffic pile ups during rush hours. The signal-free DPR has thus recommended bi-directional underpasses, even though these are T-jns since traffic volumes are really huge. Further, there is LBS nagar rd immediately past Suranjandas rd - both will need to be addressed & land acquisition is inevitable.

Of course it will work beneficially. We just have to say how.

Like I said earlier, do not be so sure when no testing has been done - it's called "theory", with no practice. Road dividers, barricades & traffic cameras were being broken even on old airport rd & IRR. For traffic cameras, they found a solution by placing them out of reach high on lamp-posts, but road dividers are still being tampered with & are being rebuilt by BBMP /traffic cops every now & then. In Pune, bicycle lanes adjacent BRT routes have turned to parking lots !

Pls re-read what I stated (whether it can be made to work beneficially). Can we be sure that boom barriers will not be broken /damaged or removed at night ? If & where they remain, can they be made to work unattended ? Are we sure other vehicles will not follow buses to use the under /over passes or bypass lanes ? Are we sure no one will steal the sensors from buses & fit it to their own vehicles ? Are we sure bus drivers won't sell them & claim that they were stolen ?

It's better to make a start with suggestions that have some chance of implementation & follow up later for possible success eventually rather than make lofty proposals without regard to realities since they are likely to be ignored by the authorities. Practically making them work can be real hard since numerous unforeseen problems are likely to crop up, some of which are quoted above.

We can! Its called options. Surface options with vehicle actuated signalling, overpass/underpass options for jumping the signals.

I suggest you re-read my earlier post/s again. Metro is proposed to ramp down to UG on hosur rd before Vellara jn & a traffic flyover will most likely be planned for Vellara jn. Flyover ramps would thus span some 200mtrs past the jn on Richmond rd, negating the need for bus priority for the jn since the signal will not stop through traffic along Richmond rd. The remaining length wud be some 500mtrs upto the next flyover (Richmond circle). So, where is the need for vehicle actuated signalling, overpass/underpass options for jumping signals along this short distance when there are no traffic signals there to begin with ? In any case, the authorities are going to maintain status quo for Vellara jn & Richmond rd since the metro is to be routed past it, for sure.

There are a hundred ways of making this work

Having worked on this before, I can say that there are very limited options & not a hundred as you claim. In fact, Richmond rd is perhaps one of the most difficult stretches in the city due to the presence of so many schools. Traffic police efforts some years ago to get children to use school buses more also came to nought, though it had been well supported by school principals. I had also looked at a complete re-routing of traffic (changing the direction of one-ways), but they threw up even more issues everywhere.

Should G1/Bus priority go via Trinity circle metro stop from Mayo hall instead of taking Commissariat road & lower agaram road towards airport road?

To begin with, I think we should concentrate on bus priorities for all city buses only on the old airport rd & not include CBD or the complete G1 bus route, since we risk the proposal getting ignored if we recommend bus lanes & priorities within CBD without fully understanding traffic flows & implications of changes. It is less difficult to make the selected pilot route a success with priorities only at signals. If this succeeds, then we can proceed further with less risk & better acceptance due to success.

So, you intend for the bus priority roll out at vellara to wait for this flyover to complete? Or would you rather they build future plans around the bus priority?

Whatever is suggested must be in sync with what plans are already in the pipeline, else it will most certainly be discarded. Why did we choose old airport rd for bus priority ? Precisely for this reason, though there are many other rds that could have been used.

Let's be realistic. They are not going to plan the Metro route based on bus priority that we propose, they have postponed a flyover at Vellara for the Metro, they are not going to build under /overpasses only to break them up later for metro construction. Given these, how can we imagine that they will change their plans because we propose bus priority ?

It's better to work on congestion pricing within CBDs, for now. Everything will not work as well as Commuter rail did (CR was long overdue anyway). We can work on bus priority within CBDs & elsewhere once it has been demonstrated successfuly on a pilot corridor. This way, the risk of rejection /failure is a lot lesser.

But if you put a vehicle actuated signal instead its easier to dismantle no?

Can you describe in more detail how you propose to use only sensors without grade separation to accord bus priority at vellara jn ? Long strips of land will also need to be acquired on the southern sides (both east & west) for bus lanes. And then you would add a signal phase for only buses, right ? Well, I didn't buy this earlier because adding a phase means more delay to all traffic, incldg buses, not to mention that the signal cycle time there is already one of the longest in the city (245 seconds, or over 4 minutes).

TM - The complete list of stops along the chosen priority route (Brigade rd to ITPL) is quoted below. This route is neither the G1 route nor the 335E route, but a track that has a very large volume of buses, particularly during peak hours : 

1. St.Patricks Complex (Brigade rd /terminus)
2. Mayo Hall
3. Trinity Circle (near Metro Stn)
4. Command Hospital
5. Domlur
6. Kodihalli (Manipal Hosp)
7. Murugeshpalya (ISRO)
8. Konena Agrahara
9. HAL Main Gate (Suranjan Das Rd)
10. HAL Kalyan Mantap
11. Borewell
12. Marathalli PO
13. Marathalli Jn (ORR)
14. Spice Garden
15. Kundalahalli Gate
16. BEML Layout
17. AECS Layout
18. CMRIT College
19. Kundalahalli Colony
20. Graphite India
21. SAP Labs
22. IGate (Perot systems)
23. KTPO
24. Vaidehi (Depot 18)
25. Satya Sai Hosp
26. ITPL Back Gate
27. Palandua Agrahar Gate
28. ITPL Main Gate

TM :

BRT (with continuous physically separated lanes) does not work efficiently if all buses start using the busways due to pileup of buses, but if painted lanes are used (without physical separation from other lanes), all buses can use the same since they can exit the lanes as necessary to avoid pile ups. Painted lanes are in use extensively in London, though intrusion by other vehicles does take place despite all the supervision, sometimes.

What we are proposing are mostly bypasses at traffic signals (wherever possible) since most of the delay for bus transit occurs here - painted or dedicated lanes will possibly be only in CBDs (G1a above). Bus-exclusive infrastructure (at signals) will typically be a few hundred metres long, thus allowing use for all buses since the possibility of pileups is minimal, though it may happen, sometimes.

I think most of the bus stops are clear of signals, except for a few (Domlur-towards Marathalli, HAL Main Gate, Kundalahalli Gate, etc). Such bus stops may will have to be moved, or as suggested by you, could even be on bus flyovers. I think we may have to resort to this at HAL Main gate & at Marathalli since bus flyovers will need to span over long distances.

TM,

Yr proposals above noted. The issue of subjecting bus movement to priority signals would remain, & the traffic being what it is, is sure to obstruct free flow of buses. Thus, there is the risk of bus pile ups along the bus lane/s besides traffic conflicts with frequent signal changes when buses arrive (& their numbers are very large now !).

Hence, grade separation (though more cumbersome than surface solutions) might work best.