Late last year (Nov 2007), we were told read about BMTC requesting BBMP for 140 bus bays. Refer this Nov 07 Hindu article:
The Traffic Engineering Cell (TEC) of the BBMP has ... invited tenders for 100 bus bays out of 140 proposed by the BMTC ... official of the cell told The Hindu that construction was likely to begin in a month and completed in three months.
But no news since then. Nothing new on this subject on BBMP website recently. However, I did see a tender from BBMP couple of days ago in newspapers. I just can't locate it now (was in papers, but is not on BBMP website, that tells you that the website doesn't expose all their tenders!) but it talked about doing 25-30 bus bays.
So how is BBMP designing the bus bays? Whats our city's past record on Bus Bays? Talking of speed of execution, this note in that same Hindu article seems critical:
The BBMP on its own was constructing 40 bus bays, the process of which began in 2003, the official pointed out ... work on 28 bays out of 40 was under progress, work on the rest was pending for lack of suitable location ... with every road often being widened it has become difficult for the BBMP to locate suitable places.
Wonder how they will manage to locate 140 bus bays. Enforcing BMTC drivers to stick on the bays will be the next challenge, but thats the easier battle. I was bothered more about the details of this work - what exactly does it include? Why is it not part of BTRAC - funds are available there, and this fits under traffic management. Does the work also involve sprucing the bus stands adjoining these bus bays? Will the work also include paint jobs or street furniture to help bus users cross the road in question?
PS 1: Photoyogi sir - can you get some info from your contacts in BBMP's traffic engineering cell (TEC) ?
PS 2: For your spare time reading:
- a paper on design of bus stops - from TRB
- accessible bus stop design - from London
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Ha !
Employ more attendants
User Interaction Designer
Bangalore
Enforcing the law
What you do, do it right.
Dear rs, its easy to get lost in - ah, whats the point of designing these well, people will anyway stand on the road, cabs and autos will fill the bus bays, and the buses will continue to stop in the middle of the road. Even when I talk to some babus, they kind of talk this language.
The thing is - we all must do our part to perfection first, and then see what happens. Lets build proper bus bays, with pedestrian fences around them, with clear "300 Rupee fine if you stop here" signs. Lets do this at 50-60 bus stops, and then see.
Just because things aren't enforced, doesn't mean we should not put signs around everywhere. More signages and street furniture, better are your chances that at least some people will feel guilty doing it again and again as they see the big and clear boards.
Further, sooner or later, this problem of weak enforcement will gain importance and get addrssed. When that time comes, lack of proper signages and street furniure shouldn't be cited along with - "ah, just enforcement wont help it, look at how bad our bus stands are".
Bottomline, each thing that we do, we should do them well. Period. That is how any change begins.
Back to the bus bays, I only want to see the design of these. I want all of us to seeand judge if BBMP/BMTC are simply wasting money here by making no real or effective changes to the bus stands.
Enforcement et al.
I share that frustration
RS,
Having moved back to Bangalore just over 3.5 years ago, I share all of your frustrations. Its hard and unbearable for concerned citizens (like us) to see money going down the drain, to see things that seem like brain dead designs, etc etc.
One thing you said there may be true:
When we didn't have the money, that was cited as the reason for poor infrastructure. Now when we have some, we are not responsible with spending it.
But I have not lost hope. All this mess around us exists only because we take it, and so we deserve it.
I know that one way we can set it all right is by giving this our time and thoughts, by way of taking serious interest (and not by heavy volunteering with blind and misinterpreted faith in "be the change you want to see") and forcing our inputs on all projects, Rs 30 arab (expressway) to Rs 30 crore (your neighborhood flyover) or Rs 30 lakhs (asphalting of your 6th main and 7th cross).
And this is where transparency and participation comes in. Why not publish exact sketch and alignment, and plans? And details of bidding process and the companies who will be getting the contracts? Why not publish simple and quantified short term and long term goals for every project, so that the impact of money spent can be measured. Why not publish full details of the contractors who do the work, and all the bills they submit and get paid for?
Lack of transparency about all these things should tell you one thing - that the only entity everyone fears is "public". Thank God that fear is till intact, and that is what gives me the hope.
Cheers.
City connect planning
I chanced upon the Blr city connect site thru devesh's links and found how they have reengineered the ramaiah hospital junction. I have used that junction for the past 25 years and like the way they have scientifically suggested transformation of the junction. We should do this excersice for each junction that currently exists and will be introduced going forward. Do take a look. I believe we need to push the city authorities to either build that level of capability into their organizations or atleast utilise the expertise that lies outside.
I am yet to see if that suggestion will be implemented. If they dont it is such a waste and shows where our maladies lie.