Prajegale,
We seem to be excited about last mile connectivity to Namma Metro. If we all agree on a few (let us say two or three) options, this might be a chance to influence policy.
Can we consolidate our ideas in one post? Here is the plan:
> Post suggestions (or links to previous posts)
> Brainstorm
> Discuss suggested options, and possible ways of implementation
> Come up with some supporting data
> Agree on two or three concrete suggestions, consolidate with whatever supporting data we can find
> Take consolidated suggestions up to whoever is needed and discuss possibilities (BMTC, BMRC, BBMP, BMLTA, GOK, Auto Unions, MERU... whoever)
If needed, we could even set up a face to face meet a couple of weeks from now.
Murali Sir / SB: Can we do this as a Transport WG project?
Thanks,
Ravi
ಪ್ರತಿಕ್ರಿಯೆಗಳು
Options discussed on praja
Here are a few posts:
This BMRC meeting notes thread discusses a bunch of options. Here are a few - NMT by ASJ, Metro Parking by Suhas, Idontspam, narayan, naveen, vasant, visany and others, Bike Parking by sreenidhi, Busbays for school kids by narayan, shared autos by vasanth..... and on.
Delhi Metro feeder by SB
This post by cvikash
Mono is in and out of news and could act as a feeder.
Well designed multi-modal transport interchange could help.
Thanks,
Ravi
Fixed price auto service as a feeder
If we get auto drivers interested, they might be happy to charge us a flat-rate fee for a given boundary and provide feeder service. I have seen something similar in Rajarajashwari Nagar area. A set of autos don't want to go out of the area - instead they exclusively operate within RR Nagar for a flat rate.
Good: We won't be adding new vehicles on the road (though I'd say they need to stick to the left of the road and put decent silencers on). Small footprint.
Bad: Works well from a stations to a local destination. Might be hard to call one to go to Metro.
Thanks,
Ravi
Cycles - food for thought.
Thanks Ravi, for compiling the suggestions. Its a great start and a good idea.
I belive, that cycling would be the perfect solution for last mile connectivity. It can also lead to a proftable cycle rent/ hire business at stations. However a LOT of effort and determination has to go in from the Govts. part to enforce lanes and protect cyclists. This seems far fetched - but I still dream of that day!
However, cycles cannot be the only option. When I go to work in formals, or If i have a morning meeting, I cannot afford to sweat and pant to the metro station (however good it maybe for excercise.)I need a "cool" and "clean" option to get to the station and onwards to work.
My suggestions for Last Mile connectivity would be the following:
Will add more as I come up with them.
User Interaction Designer
Bangalore
65% vehicles in blr are 2 wheelers
Srinidhi
User Interaction Designer
Bangalore
Options
2. Shared prepaid autos (probably with Tata magic type).
3. Shared Innovas or Tata Wingers (For those who cannot come out of A/C).
4. Non-Airconditioned mini buses (such as Tata starbus or Mazdas).
5. Airconditioned-mini buses (such as the Kingfisher pickup bus like).
6. Passing by normal route buses (alteration of routes by BMTC to make the existing routes to pass near Metro stations).
7. Meru or Easy Cab like taxis with fares ranging from 25-50 rupees.
8. Very nominal cycle parking charges
9. Congestion charging near Metro stations and heavy parking fees to avoid personal vehicles except for bicycles.
Nadairaja Transport
I think the biggest form of last mile connectivity in the city would be walking (also known as Nadairaja Transport!)
We need to make sure that pavements around a 3 ksm radius from the station is maintained well and is not non-existent! This I feel should be BMRC's responsibility. Hawkers and Other vendors, encroachers and transformers/BSNL boxes must be kept at bay.
This will take care of last mile connectivity for a good chunk of metro users. Its one thing building a pavement, its another looking after it. We need a Pavements authority of Bangalore or a body that can concentrate on building and mainting it.
Or we can look PPP and BOT operations for pavement. This could be in return for advertising rights along with the pavement. Would be nice if we could test such a scheme on a pilot basis before BMRC is implemented.
How about Praja and Developer, try and get one pavement (1 km stretch) designed and implemented to international standards and prove to people how nice it is to walk!
User Interaction Designer
Bangalore
Pavements authority - A good thought
Narayan,
Hats off to you, man. BMRCL together with BBMP are planning some 300-400 mtrs of uniterrupted side walks leading up to Metro stations, but this effort, though commendable, is not enough, really.
Your suggestion of a pavement authority is thought provoking & perhaps, a long felt need. BBMP/BWSSB by themselves have not been able to deliver, so far. I am not sure they if they can monitor the sidewalks once the Metro stations are built & after the Metro is operational. BBMP & BWSSB contractors, after cleaning the storm drains on the sides of streets, deposit muck by the road side, especially over the pavements. We do need proper monitoring to make sure that pavements are maintained throughout. In any case, the present proposal is only around Metro stations & does not extend beyond.
Maybe it's a good idea to have a separate body (under BMLTA) to maintain pavements. This body can also ensure that pavements are not misused by hawkers & shops that are using part of the sidewalks for displaying their wares, as also to stifle side walks from turning into parking lots (Eg. Indiranagar 100-ft road, & koramangala 80 & 100-ft roads).
I think this is a great idea - & needs further review.
An electric mini van
Suhas
Suhas
Delhi BRT corridor like sidewalks
Cycles Please
Cycles in trains
Seems to need a lot of space....
unless its like this one...
Bicycles in Metro - Good Pictures
IDS,
Thanks for these pictures. It does occupy space, but Namma Metro's seating arrangement within coaches is different. There are only longitudinal seats by the windows - long stainless steel "benches", that allow room for many 'standees' within.
To allow bicycles within & utilise space better, the stowage area for bicycles could be staggered - only on one side by the front entrance (say, left side) & only the other side adjacent the rear entrance (right side). Likewise, dividers can be fitted only on one side to separate bicycle space from seating area/s.
This would still allow standees adjacent to the bicycles & maximize the no. of commuters that can be accommodated on the coach.
Locking arrangements would be necessary to secure the bicycles to the coach during travel. This is usually with a height adjustable hook that clamps it, as it is fitted on Copenhagen's Metro & also Berlin's UBahn. In Berlin, the buses also have provision for bicycles, prams, wheelchairs, even pets !
2 wheeler parking space.
Metro - Not Just for 2-wheeler Users
To assume that Metro is largely for two-wheeler users would be incorrect. Many that are presently using buses, cars & IPTs will also start using the Metro, if it is made accessible & convenient.
Many new bus routes need to be introduced as feeder services from all potential areas to reduce undesirable private traffic. Where volumes are low, mini-buses could do the job, but all areas need to be fully covered. Some bus routes will also need to be cancelled or altered to avoid wastage & duplication.
Real estate costs are huge & expecting BMRC /BBMP to provide large subsidised parking areas is not only unrealistic, but invites more traffic & chaos at stations. Private property owners near (but clear of) stations can be encouraged for providing parking, but parking costs will be high, which is fine & will keep a check on traffic, too.
Vehicle Rentals at TTMCs and Metro Stations
Having good rentals of cars / two wheelers and auto stands close to Metro Stations or allocating TTMC floors for vehicle renting companies is a very good idea. I cannot imagine even a small US municipal airpot without a car rental company or the other.
I can log on to websites like pricline and book my rental car which in many cases is located on the airport premises.
Yes, situation in India is different. But if a family of 5 wants to travel to say Jayanagar 4th block and takes the Green Line Metro from Hessarghatta cross to Jayanagar metro station. This famiy, say, consisting of father, mother, mother-in-law and two kids can easily rent a Tata Nano or a Wagon R or any other car and drive it from the Jayanagar Metro station and return it back.
I am sure there will be incentives like frequent user, insurance claim et al, which can be passed on to the customer as part of the cost.
This way, last mile connectivity has a lot of choices.
A metro station can be integrated with:
a) Mono Rail line
b) BMTC bus
c) BRT bus
d) Commuter Rail
e) South Western Rail
f) Autos
g) City Taxis
h) TTMCs with two wheeler / car rentals
i) Free bike / cycle rentals
why self dirve might not work....
User Interaction Designer
Bangalore
Some thoughts
Just to say -
- Sufficent parking - how sufficient is sufficient? There will never be enough parking for all and hence the focus should be on revitalising the buses in offering connectivity.
- Why exactly can a family not consider a bus ride? I have done it in Mumbai and do it regularly in London (can't do it in Pune becuase of lack of connectivity and quality of service - again the very things we ought to fight for).
- I disagree with the idea of charging cyclists for parking. At a time when cycling needs to make a major come-back, it ought to be incentivised and made completely free.
- What may work better than folding cycles is a Velib like cycle hire scheme.
- Intermediate public transport (ITP - taxi / rickshaw) and its regulation is a much better option that vehicluar rental schemes (which BTW are in place in mage cities worldwide- nothing to do with size, its the level of investment and entrprise that is vital - this in turn increases prices). ITPs don't need parking, they drop off and go away either with another passenger or move to the roads in hunt of another client.
- But walking to stations ought to be the biggest and most important factor in success of a Metro. Go for footpaths wider than those on Delhi BRT (which are not in keeping with IRC norms by virtue of being narrow). Slap 2 meter wide footpaths on either side, even reduce road width if need be, get rid of on-street parking (which consumes maximal space) and TDM will begin and congestion will drop (there is evidence to support this). I remember walking from school to home in South Mumbai which has always had wide footpaths, we (me and my peers) took either the Marine Lines or Marine Drive, get a dry bhel or peanuts and enjoy one the best walks ever. As an adult, walking is great as you can pick up many things on the way from the road side shops (I am not referring to obstructionist hawkers) - all daily essentials while going back home.
ASJwww.driving-india.blogspot.com
Other forms of last mile
Pavement quality
ASJ, IDS - Quite Right
I cant understand why discussions for last mile connectivity are always with a focus on exclusivity, such as - 'taxis', 'autos', 'car-rentals', '2-wheeler rentals', etc.
Should we be not be concentrating on getting the 'hard-drive' right first before worrying about 'peripherals' ?
The first & most important option is to push for public transport - viz. efficient feeder buses, instead of seeking these private modes with justification/s such as "since they have been doing this in USA", etc..
In my opinion, USA is a bad example - their pollution levels & over-emphasis on car-use is a subject of ridicule by the whole world today, but some of us seem to still respect them greatly. It does not necessarily mean that what they do is a prescription for us ! On the contrary, many things they do are against the environment & they are far behind most european countries, Japan & Australia in taking steps to protect the environment.
We need to focus a lot more on cleaner & greener transport, though this may be inconvenient to some. This is the way ahead, so let's not go backwards & pay undue attention to more & more exclusivity that harms others & the environment.
change is here :)
People are hesitant to Change - as saw with BIAL. But America has proved us wrong!
So, we will never change if we don’t take a new step. We are used to taking our car/bike every where we go. Blame it on bad pavements, poor road, bad public transport... whatever. But if change is what we want from them, we need to change too to suit them.
We can't improve public transport and then still expect to find parking outside your destination. We have to change our mental models of city navigation and get accustomed to new ways such as Walking, cycling and others which right now seem impossible.
I am sure, this luxury of taking your car everywhere currently (because of a lack of a better system) would have caused a bit of laziness within us. If we keep feeding that, we are actually going backwards!
What we need is Bold decisions, and people to see the need to change – with the city.
Hence, yes, a large part of the solution is with the stake holder (BBMP BDA ...etc) but we really have to change our pre-assumptions about city traveling. Hence these ideas of Car Parking and multi level parking’s everywhere you go, do not somehow complement the solution of having a metro in the first place.
Of course, there will be hiccups and hesitancy. Dare I say Metro will be a smooth implementation/arrival into Bangalore! But if we don’t over come them by getting used to new methods, its like taking a temporary pain killer.
I totally moot the idea of Walking, Cycling and Busses (in that order.) And I believe we should start now.Let us campaign for better pavements, cycling lanes and BRTS. I am sure if we start now, we can be better prepared for the Metro. Otherwise the Metro will be jammed above, and we will be in the same jam below!
"Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek." : Barack Obama
User Interaction Designer
Bangalore
Carbon footprint & NMT
Sustainability and carbon footprint are two separate concepts, but they somehow seem to go hand in hand when we talk of transport. Means that reduce carbon footprint seem to be sustainable, improve living conditions and endure over the long run.
I'd argue that NMT - walking, cycling (add riding a bullock or horse cart! :)) - has the lowest footprint, and is highly sustainable. Completely agree that NMT should be given a big boost.
So, all agree that our first pick is NMT?
So far, looks like Hired transport (Taxis, Autos) and Feeder Bus Service follow NMT. I'll come back and update this list a few days from now based on more member posts.
Thanks,
Ravi
How do we improve walkability?
I know there is no such word.. but you get the picture....
Here are a few suggestions.
> Make footpaths wider and walkable!
> Provide rain shelters, at least from nearest transit locations to the Metro station
> Provide adequate lighting
> Strictly no parking or encroaching by shops onto the footpath
> Plan for mass movement across intersections, road crossings and areas of special interest (bus stops, multi story buildings, hospitals, offices...)
> Build underpasses, overbridges as needed
> And PLEASE STOP destroying those beautiful Bangalore trees
I just cannot help remember how much I walked in Paris (and London and Singapore). Planned and implemented well, to be able to stroll is a treat in itself!
Thanks,
Ravi
Namma Metro Alignment
We cannot increase number of stations, change alignment or make Metro stop every 500m. And we cannot spread it all over as say in Paris or London. Metro design doesn't seem to help here. Suppose you want to visit commercial street. Can you walk the distance from MG road stations?
Alignment (and hence utility of metro) is very focussed. It is designed for mass transport from select few places in the city to select few places in the suburbs. We should certainly keep this in mind when we think of connectivity solutions.
Thanks,
Ravi
Some interesting reading in this thread....
http://praja.in/blog/cvikash/2007/09/05/metro-rail-too-much-handle-can-we-leapfrog
Read analysis by TS and others...
velib style bicycle rentals
Pedicabs - Another Great Option
We seem to have forgotten this convenient, environment friendly option for short distances (up to about a mile or mile & a half) !
Above - Cycle Rickshaws at Berlin's PotsdamPlatz.
Below -A Pedicab designed by Yamaha
Above, & Below : Berlin's Central Stn - Hautpbahnhof - Perhaps one of the most environment friendly buildings in the world, with "Tops Open to the Heavens" for daylight. The Metro (UBahn) operates from upper levels, whilst Inter-City (Deutsche Bahn) operates from lower levels.
Here is an interesting article in the NYT....
This NYT artcile details some real-world successes, though we should remember that India is *very* different from Europe (or China).
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/10/world/europe/10bike.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&hp
Thanks,
Ravi
BiCycle Program
Ravi_D,
Many thanks for posting this link - a great development & a well written column.
China is changing too ! Once the most popular form of transport, bicycles had been banned in downtown shanghai, now only to be reinstated.
I wonder where India is headed :-)
metro to address 15% traffic only?
Is it from any survey or understanding of the 'catchment' area?
however there are talks of last mile connectivity..which should actually increase the catchment area for the metro..and inturn increase the ridership!
btw should we be really talking of numbers this soon!? when theres hardly any work on the ground that has happened!
http://news.moneycontrol....
unless they fire Navayuga!
IRC Yearly forecast of traffic.
The 15% traffic from roads if in terms of persons in vehicles than it may come to :
1.0 1Car ~2 persons
2.0 1 Three wheeler~2persons
3.0 1Two wheeler~1 person
4.0 1Bus~60 persons
So actually the 15% in terms of vehicles will be about 35% of persons and if the 15% is in terms of persons than in terms of vehicles it will be ~5%.
Now please note that the yearly projection (increase) as per the Indian Roads Congress -in absense of any data or without doing traffic modeling- is 7.5%.
If we take a conservative estimate it will ~5%. So the congestion level will be maintained in two years of post construction of metro.
After That?
nJ
-nJ-
919462900144
www.nitinjhanwar.biz
Commercial Street connectivity
~~~~
Manish, Nagarbhavi.
~~~~
Manish.
Metro-bus-rail link: A work in progress
A reality check on inter-modal connectivity at all the East-West line Metro train stations
The Majestic interchange station is arguably the most critical link on the Namma Metro East-West line, connecting commuters to the hugely important transport hub.
But at 6 am on Saturday, when the line is commercially launched, the station will have just one entrance and exit point for the public. This will be on Gubbi Thotadappa Road, a good 10 minutes walk to the City Railway Station.
Tracking the connectivity of each East-West line station to other modes of public transport, Deccan Herald found BMTC bus stops within walking distance at most locations. But bus bays were a rarity. So were parking slots. However, the autorickshaws were everywhere!
If commuters alighted the Metro at the station named after the City Railway station, they would end up at the last platform, accessible only by a foot overbridge. But the reservation counter would be 500 metres away, a seven-minute walk.
Not yet seamless
You could hop off the Metro at Indiranagar, walk three minutes and hop on to a bus or autorickshaw to Domlur, Jeevan Bima Nagar or New Thippasandra. But is inter-modal commute so seamless at other stations on this Baiyappanahalli - Mysuru road line?
Flanked by the arterial Old Madras road, the Baiyappanahalli Metro terminal has few issues with bus connectivity or parking. The old railway station is just a foot overbridge away, and could potentially get packed with the IT crowd if a suburban train chugs its way from Whitefield.
However, it would be risky business for bus passengers coming into the city from KR Puram side. There are no skywalks or underpasses to get across to the station. Buses do stop, although there is no shelter. The best option would be to take the Metro at the Swami Vivekananda Road station, with good parking facility and a bus stop a few metres away.
Parking issues
Parking is a big issue at the Indiranagar and Halasuru stations. But buses and autorickshaws are aplenty. The bus stop is a three-minute walk from Trinity station. Beyond the bus-connected MG Road station, the Metro goes underground at the Cubbon Park station, from where the nearest bus stop on Queen’s road near Chinnaswamy stadium is over 500 metres away.
Next on the underground stretch is the Vidhana Soudha station, opening onto the Ambedkar Veedhi with bus stops in close proximity. Parking is not an issue here, although it gets tricky at the next station, Visvesvaraya, catering mostly to advocates and Central college students.
Rushing underground through Majestic and City Railway stations, the train eventually emerges out of the tunnel before the Magadi Road station. The elevated stretch covering Magadi Road, Hosahalli, Vijayanagar and Attiguppe stations is relatively hassle-free. BMTC bus stops are close by, although the road space has been eaten up by the Metro pillars.
Satellite bus link
At Deepanjali Nagar station, commuters headed to Mysuru, Kerala and inter-State destinations could alight and catch a bus / autorickshaw to the Mysuru road KSRTC satellite bus stand. But heavy traffic at the station entrance could prove tough for the passengers. The satellite bus stand is only 700 metres from this point. But the flyover link has no footpath!
The well designed Mysuru Road station could be the next best option. It has enough space for shuttle buses to pick up alighting passengers to the satellite stand. However, the road below the flyover is yet to be upgraded.
http://www.deccanherald.c...
A new bus route from satellite bus stand to Banashankari
A new bus route running between Satellite Bus Stand to Banashankari / Jayanagar via outer ring road can ease things here. People living in and around Banashankari has to depend on autos to reach Satellite Bus Stand. A bus could not only allow satellite bus passengers, but also act as feeder from Metro Station to satellite bus stand also as a Metro feeder.
What is the route number? I
What is the route number? I would like to use the bus facility.
Ajay
Bangaluru
It is not started yet.. should be started a suggestion
@ajay, it is not started It is a suggestion for BMTC.
The new route MF-2 is running
The new route MF-2 is running from Baiyapppanahalli To ITPL. Today travelled to ITPL by the same route bus.
Ajay
Bangaluru
Good to know about MF-2.. Need another one for Ecospace
Another one needed to link Ecospace / Wirpo on Sarjapur Road. Earlier a Volvo was running between Majestic and Wipro Sarjapur empty. Same can be added here.
The new East West Line
The new East West Line stations are a joke and an eyesore. We are forced to park the vehicles on service roads of Vijayanagar.
BMTC's swanky TTMC has much better parking facilities. It is just about 500 metres from Attiguppe Metro station.
The security guard said "Tsar innu parking facility madilla."
Metro station closer to TTMC
I had mentioned this point earlier as well. Why wasn't metro station considered slightly closer to TTMC. People are forced to walk for 0.5kms between the nearest metro station and TTMC. With parking facilities also not available near metro stations, this is a serious spoiler for inter-modal transport.
On the yet to be inagurated southern reach of North-South corridor near Banashankari, there is no foot over bridge to connect between Banashankari metro station and TTMC. If it is considered now, it would at least make sense when trains become operational.
- Srivatsan
@srivatsan..this is because
@srivatsan..this is because there has been sheer lack of co-ordination btw different govt bodies. There is no single institution which looks into public transport as a whole..there is narrowmindedness in the approach of integration..also this design for ph 1 was done by DMRC who had no clue about bangalore and its traffic issues..
BMRCL is slowly realizing the importance of integration..they have been slow to learn..but hopfully they will learn it for the good of all..
BMRCL, BMTC, KSRTC, SWR, DULT and MoUD big talks not on ground
All these Govt agencies can make big wonders for Bangalore integrated transport
But none of the officers from these use the public Transport becuase their is no mandate for them to use PT even once in week.
Thats whay it takes effort to move these small mountains.
Now SWR and BMRCL says issues resolved
The Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation and South Western Railways have reached an understanding about passengers alighting at the City Railway Metro Station after many were caught for ticketless entry to the railway station these past few days. The confusion arose owing to the lack of integration over a foot overbridge (FOB) between the railway station and the metro station, which should have been planned before operations began.
Officials say that the situation has been resolved. “We have reached an agreement with the Railways’ authorities. We will both put up a temporary office near the FOB adjacent to the electrical sub-station. We will also install signboards to guide passengers,” said U.A. Vasanth Rao, Spokesperson, BMRCL.
Bus from RR Nagar side goes over Nayandalli flyover skipping stn
I happen to take metro from Nayadahalli last week (1st May). Buses from Rajarajeshwari Nagar stops before Nayanhalli flyper (which is BMTC stop ) and goes over flyover. People wants use metro from RR Nagar side has get down and walk 8-10 minutes to Nayandalli metro station. There is no proper pavements. It is risky during night. I dont see any walk way being cosntructed from Nayandalli stn to Nayandalli bus stop
BMTC authorities should look into this.
@nags123 try tweeting BMRCL
@nags123 try tweeting BMRCL PRO Vasanth Rao and Kaur from BMTC..there should be a sollution
https://twitter.com/uavas...
@ekroopcaur
unviable operation
While the metro timings are from 6am to 10 pm, the feeder service started at 8 am and ended at 5pm, the routes were also changed so that there were only few passengers who could actually use it. “Vasanth Nnagar is an area with a high density of population where there are a number of institutions such as Mount Carmel College, Fortis Hospitals, Vikram Hospital and several offices that houses thousands of employees each,” says Rajkumar.
It was as if the BMTC made the feeder service fail says Rajkumar made it fail, adds Rajkumar.
- - - “They should match the feeder service with the usage of people. It was as if they were running it for namesake, We pointed these things to the BMTC authorities, but they gradually toned down the services by reducing it to only a few hours per day finally stopping it altogether,” adds Rajkumar.
Had the BMTC done it right, the feeder service could have been a huge success.
For the full text (emphasis added by me) of the report in the New Indian Express, click here.
Reminds of the times when, with the full support of the local RWA's, I applied for a licence to operate an Intra-Koramangala shuttle service, for which I had worked out the full details. The Transport Dept refused, but with my approaching the highest level in the state, the BMTC was asked to provide the service. They did it for about a month, more or less to prove their pre-determined point that it was not viable, and then withdrew it, quite like in the above case, very much as elsewhere too. Yes, the way they operate, it was not viable.
In fact, the way they operate, the entire service is unviable, as is beginning to show up more and more now. In such a scenario, the question uppermost needs to be 'how can the monopoly continue?' - here's more on that.