Congestion charging on arterial corridors of Bangalore?

Direct tax like this would mean protests and what not. Also, some new project or infrastructure to collect the tax or toll. Indirect taxs or measures - like forcing 1 year worth bus-pass purchase with each car registration, or bus lanes to make car guys struggle even more with congestion - would work better.

Also, congestion tax in Bangalore is different deal from Tax in London. Here, most car owners are well off enough to not mind paying Rs 100 everyday to drive in. Higher tax amount than that would mean protests, courts and what not.

Using private vehicles is already expensive compared to using PT. Trip to center of the city on my car is 20 Kms x 2 = 40 Kms. At 12 kms per liter, you are talking 3.5 liters of Petrol. That is ~ Rs 170.

On Vajra, this would be Rs 25x2 = Rs 50. So, if I am taking more than 3 people, Car is cheaper. On Big10 (which is what I use many times) cost would be Rs 35+ (involves a change for me, thats why the appx number)

But I rarely think of it the money way. God has been kind on us that we (I assume many are in my boat) are okay taking Rs 120 hit and yet take the car. and we, at least I, do it because of other reasons - main of which is TIME.

Time is money, and that has not been factored in above calculations.

I voted for get Pub Trans bit more usable first, and the congestion pricing.

 SB - a few comments

a. Not just time.  There is the convenience of not having to wait in the sun, the walk to the bus stop on unpaved footpaths, not knowing when a bus will turn up, maybe sitting maybe standing.  Incremental benefits of the car > incremental cost of taking the car.  (Just curious - at what price differential will you take a bus as a no-brainer?)  There will be some for whom the LHS is >> the RHS and only a car ban will make them take PT!

b. On time itself.  Elapsed time for the bus = time to reach bus stop (5-10mins) + waiting time (5-10 mins) + transit time + walking to destination (5-10 mins).  The transit time itself does not vary by bus/car  - Bangalore traffic ensures that.  We have a serious problem with to and fro bus stop and a bit less with waiting times.

c. No offence - but I am not convinced that congestion charges should come in only after PT improves.  I have lived in a city with possibly one of the best PT systems you can come by and yet people choose to take their cars.  Cars impose massive external costs on public life and they need to pay.  E.g. all these one-ways have been made to make the car/bike user reach faster - but they have made the life of the bus user and pedestrian miserable.  

So

On (a) we need to reduce the LHS and increase RHS.  LHS can be reduced by better bus stops, better coverage, more predictable bus timings, dedicated bus lanes.  RHS can be increased by congestion charges, parking charges, higher petrol prices within Bangalore.   We have to do both together IMHO.  Only when people like you and me take buses will the noise for improvement increase.  The average person has enough on his/her plate and is probably happy just to get any bus.

After the new flyovers etc are done, or even before that, Outer Ring Road needs a bus/carpool lane. Carpool definition is a bit tricky, 3 or more would be more like it.

Enforcement will be tough as always, but wide roads need such token measures.

 During my daily commute to office, especially in the evenings, it takes nearly 1 hour in 500K from BSK 3rd Stg to Silkboard whereas in the mornings it takes only 30-45 minutes.

If I go by car or 2 wheeler, I can take internal roads of Jayanagar and reach in 30-40 minutes maximum.

Here road is only 2 lanes on either sides and no scope for widening and hence the buses are struck in traffic.

There are two parallel ring roads between Kadrenahalli Cross and Bannerghatta Road. One road continues till silkboard and the other ends at Bannerghatta Road after Shopper's stop. These two parallel roads can be utilized to develop have High Occupancy Vehicle lanes between these two stretches by making them one way in each direction and having bus lanes in both the roads.

  First I think Mr Reddy should justify the High Road tax (~13%) they charge in Bangalore. That is also imposed to discourage people from buying private vehicle. Then he should talk about congestion tax. There is little improvement in Road conditions, and every year its the same story after rains.
  Another tax is another way to extract from people for themselves. People are helpless and would have to pay. Just because something is successful in Singapore does not mean it will work for India, there are lot of other factors which make it successful there. Do we have the public transport as good as Singapore? Roads? What about Commute time? What about crime rate? I would not prefer taking a public transport at odd hours in Bangalore.
 There are many ways which we can adopt before thinking about taxing. Ex: In B'glore, all areas are closed on Sundays, Why can't we allocate day of closure for an area. This is working very well in Delhi. Some areas are closed on Monday, some on Tuesday and so on.
 Another way is to change school timing. Here the school timing are very bad(8-9am till 4pm), clash with peak hour morning traffic, if school timing are made a little early, the children will also come home early and have time to do other activities in evening.

 I hope someone from CM'sO reads and tries to evaluate the alternatives.

..... so that people who live in a residential area don't have to pay the parking fee but those who do not belong to that area have to pay the parking fee

Why should it not apply to the residents? Parking is parking, and it is taking up public space for free in this case. If someone is willing to purchase an automobile, he/she should keep it inside a premises they own or rent. If they don't have space inside their premises, let them 'rent' space on the road - aka paying a parking fee.

Now it may be impractical to enforce in a residential area. But that is a different discussion.