To ease traffic congestion on Bellary Road connecting the city and Bengaluru International Airport, the traffic police have removed the BMTC bus-stop situated near the Air Force Headquarters Training Command on Bellary Road.
A press release said commuters, from Sunday, can use the bus-stops near the CBI office or the one on Ramana Maharshi Road, opposite the Palace Grounds.
http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/bangalore/article3509916.ece
How come Traffic Police have done such bad thing which was unexpected from Dr M A Salem. This will really make idiffcult for all commuters arround Meckri Circle. By moving Bus stop to CBI office, effectively Traffic police have ensured that Citizens do not use BMTC buses between BDA junction upto Sanjayanagar entrance.
Distance between CBI office Bus stop and the one on Ramana Maharshi Road, opposite the Palace Grounds will be nearlly 3 Kms
Meckri Circle is Major junction for Commuters who wants to go to Shivaji Nagar / Yesvanthpur / Malleshwaram / Majestic
After all for whose benefit have they done ??? for the Private vechiles, City Taxies, Auto's & Private Intercity buse operators so that they can move very fast & Commuter by BMTC buse are at receving end. So its clear that even so called Bangalore Traffic Police do not care for Commuters in Bangalore and they are more interested in Vechile managment.
Next axe will be at Hebbal after Flyover, opposite to Esteem Mall : Once Elevated corridor for NH-7 gets open, so called Bangalore Traffic Police will shift BMTC Bus stop opposte to Esteem mall to Kodigehalli entrance, so effectivly, Commuters will not have buse facility between Hebbal - Kodigehalli.
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With this Valvo Buse stop for BIAL will be moved out
This bus stop was mainly used for all Airport Commuters to catch the Valvo BMTC Buses and public going towards Yelahanka, Devanahalli, Chikballapur, Doddballapur, Battryanapura.
So in effect this type will discourage more commuters of using BMTC buses in coming days. Already we are seeing how money was wasted on TTMC's and with further unfriendly Bangalore Traffic Acts like this will esnure that Bangalore moves to Private Vechiles soon.
This is really stupid - as
This is really stupid - as Sanjeev pointed out - this is the most useful bus stop for airport buses as all the airport buses pass through here. Often I have taken an auto to here and then a bus to the airport. Just because of some screw up in the position and management of the bus stand they have inconvenienced a lot of people. The could, for example, move the bus stand slightly further down and build a usable bus bay.
Ramesh
It is always crowded as well.
It is always crowded as well. Most of the crowd is the changeover from East-West to North. So I dont see why not walk the other side same distance instead of towards Hebbal. I think both bus stands are same distance form the east-west cross road on top of Mekhri circle.
Ideal situation would have been to use one lane on the the North-South slip road for buses (instead of the buses travelling in the underpass) & allow only buses to go across on top along with the right turn signal phase. This will make the bus stop closer to the east-west direction and easier change over
For people who wants go to Aiforce station, MLA Layout, SQAE
@IDS
People who frequent to Airforce station, MLA Layout, HMT Bavan will be most affected in this. As most of the RT Nagar residents, its easy to drop their wards, family at Bellary road opposite of Airforce station and they could easily get the BMTC buses. Now this will be deprived to them. Now they need to use Anand Nagar raod near CBI junction to reach BMTc bus stand, so in effect Anand Nagar / CBI road & underpass will see the prblem.
Even the bus stop at Palace ground will not create the traffic jam once more number of buses starts stopping and will take more time due to increas in number of passengers as their is no bus bay except the small serice lane type.
So in effect the problem has been pushed back from Air force Training Center to Palace ground. So effect will be traffic getting piled up at Kaveri Junction. This is one big problem faced in Bangalore where ever underpasses or Flyovers are made, reason sufficient place not povided for BMTC bus stands by either BBMP / Traffic Police, effect is not provided with proper bus stops but left to stop in the middel of the road.
This we do't want to accept, same case at ESTEEM mall after Hebbal now days
Same method / principle either push the problem or flyover the problem for Traffic solution
Removing bus stops is not new
Slightly off topic.
On Old Airport Road opposite Total Mall, the bus stop was removed. This was at the time when new bus stop designs were being brought in. But that program halted for whatever reason. On retrospection if you see the spot where this bus stop was, now there is a commercial building. And if this bus stop existed where it was, entrance to this building would have been difficult, if not impossible. Even if you reject it as a conspiracy theory, can it not be possible that the bus stop was removed on the pretext of redesign and was never reconstructed to aid the builder?
Thankfully the buses stop there but the commuters have to bear rain and sun.
One more BMTC buse stop eliminated : same case at ORR near BEL
Same story, BMTC buses are skipping two stops and risking commuters life at under pass on ORR for Kuvempu Circle & BEL Circle
Now BDA has opened one ramp of Underpass from MES road towards Hebbal of nearly 1.5 Kms which may be lonest one in Bangalore. This underpass cross the Mathirkeri Road towards Vidyarnapaura / Jalahalli and New BEL road.
Earlier 500 sereis buses had stop at BEL circle for Jalahalli - Mathikeri inersection at ORR and other one at New BEL road - ORR at Kuvempu Circle.
Now BMTC buses on ORR have started using this underpass, so they stop just before uderpass entry at MES road, their is no bus stop as one ramp goes towards Jalahalli. Next BMTC buses stops after exit point towards Hebbal and commuters have to wait for buses at exit of the Underpass risking their lives as private vechiles travell at 60 Kms speed & they get further clear ORR with railway under pass for next 1 Km.
Its really risky for Commuters to catch bus or get down from bus at these both places and once rain starts, catching buses at these plcaes will be really risky.
Here is one more case of BMTC buses stops getting eliminated for signal free corridors.
So commuters who use Public Transport like BMTC buses are at receiving end for signal free corridors for Private Vechile.
These things clearly exposes how our Transport policies encourages Private Vechiles usage and discourages Public Transport
Same case may be Dairy Circle & Silk Board flyover
If some one who may be from that side, can tell how commuters suffer in using BMTC buses at these places.
As in case of Silkboard flyover, both sides do not have safe pedistrain crossing by footover bridge even though road width is of 8 lanes.
If the air force training
If the air force training center needs the bus stop they should provide some land. Because they arent giving 50 meters length now state gov is thinking of elevated flyover for 6 kms etc. & screwing up the entire stretch. The air force training center have given space on the CV Raman road side for 3 laning that road, so I dont see what the problem is here for this short stretch. Maybe an RTI will reveal that this is just BBMP/BDA handiwork to build an elevated flyover.
But I agree broadly that GoK have no guts to prioritize public transport over private vehicles. Paid parking, congestion charging, Commuter rail, Bus priority, pedestrian facilities & NMT tracks still remain lip service. Its still all about roads inside the city.
Didn't expect this from BTP & Mr. Saleem
How can they do that? How can they make life difficult for bus commuters to try to lessen the traffic for motorists?
Even in traffic jam situations, they should evolve a solution where only bmtc buses should get preference, that should be the scenario where we should be heading to in long terms? But we are going totally opposite.
Deepak
Posted this issue and link on BTP FB
I have posted the issue on the BTP FB (https://www.facebook.com/...), and got just a quick response -
"Dear Deepak, the existing bus stop has been moved little further so as to avoid congestion."
I have asked further to try to answer concerns mentioned over here in this blog.
People on Praja, please try to re-post just the concerns on the same FB link, and try to get some answers from BTP.
Deepak
Mekri Circle is an important Bus Stop
Mekri Circle is an important bus stop for the purpose of people travelling to Yelahanka & Devanahalli. If this bus stop is removed, it would put many commuters, especially those coming from Shivajinagar and Yeshwantpur into hardship, since Yelahanka is already a bus-starved area.
If the traffic police harass the bus commuters like this instead of promoting the already-insufficient Public Transport, how do you expect more and more people to travel by bus?
the existing bus stop has been moved little further
@ Deepak,
Thanks for posting this issue on face book and bringing to Traffic police notice.
Its unfortunate that these Traffic police officers are sensless in dealing with Commuters.
@ Salem,
What does he mean by moving littel further : CBI junction is more then one Kms from the existing bus stop. Already Commuter have to walk from Meckri Circle.
Already Commuters were going thru' crossing of Bellary road risking their lives as no footover bridge exists, now this is one more blow to the Commuters.
If Commuter have to walk for 10 Min to do the interchange of buses, how is it Commuters like to shift to BMTC buses.
Does Bangalore Traffic has any answer once traffic piles towards the Caveri Junction ( Magic Box ) due to bus stop opposite Palace Ground???
They are not bothered about the Commuters difficulties, they are looking into more Private Vechiles problems & MP's, MLA's & minister movement.
whither public transport?
@ IDS - The stop just north of Mekhri circle was the most convenient to catch a Vayu-Vajra bus towards BIAL, since, with buses from all directions converging at the circle, you could get a bus within a maximum of 5 minutes of waiting at most times of the day or night. This convenience will not be there at the proposed Ramana Maharshi centre stop, south of the circle.
Well, as far as Vayu-Vajra passengers are concerned, it means getting dropped off a bit further down the road - not too serious an issue. It's the other bus passengers that will have a problem. And, yes, for all the lip service being given to pre-eminence of public transport, the talk having become fashionable, what we are seeing on the ground is the bus passengers being side-lined literally for the smooth transit of the neta's in their chauffeur-driven cars.
Little further is not correct
Little further is not correct CBI jn is almost 2 kms from Mekhri circle. I agree about BIA buses, now you have to catch them at CBI jn for the same benefits & not at Ramana Maharishi stop. I am not sure if they stop at CBI jn because I catch them at Hebbal.
I dont like the shifting but trying to establish a case of which bus I will miss if this was shifted. I can foresee I will miss all buses going to sanjaynagar from CNR rao jn, unless those buses stop on top of Mekhri circle before they turn to Bellary. All other connections are still valid.
On the flip side, now the unscientific "Nahni trap" U turn into Sanjaynagar from south bound traffic is going to be a death trap with uninterrupted fast flow from the AFTC choke point.