APAD - A Picture A Day, Traffic Indiscipline

Guess above is enough proof to book you for using your cell phone while driving? :):)

That lane is almost 5 meters wide against a classic 3.2 meters tight lane.

It has to be argued, IMO that at even 3.2 m (IRC norms, mind you) actually encourages bad lane behavior. In the absence of us having an ability to rationalize IRC norms, we should definitely make the pitch for 3.3m to be the absolute upper limit on permissible lane width.

The picture is interesting. The solution is to mark the lanes & bus stop as also physically separate the entry to the overpass with kerb stones.

This is somewhat similar to some of the problems at the Cable-stayed bridge/ORR junction in KR Puram that were discussed in the now disbanded KR Puram Road Engg group (as some of sb's pics demonstrate: 

Atleast we don't have to factor multiple confounding factors this time :)

One option for the BDA junction mess would be to (see pic below):

1. Create a shared 'exit/bus lane' for traffic using the magic box.
2. Split this into two and create an island. The left branch continues on to the magic box that while the right branch becomes a bus only lane.
3. The island serves forms a bus stop and one of the landing places for a skywalk (other landing places could be either extremes of Chowdiah Rd.
4. Move overpass lanes to the left, enabling an easier merge for buses (arguably the trickiest part).

 

Only one problem -- bus users will try to avoid the skywalk for crossing the street, & for this, barricades are the only option.

IDS - OK, very clear now (TM suggested an addnl skywalk). Is the magic box also used for vehicles, & if so, is it wide enough to have sidewalks ? A pedestrian level-crossing will still be required to cross to the left. If there is too much left turning traffic, can traffic calming alone take care ?

TM suggested an addnl skywalk...

Forgot about that ped walkway under the overpass! That should work just fine...but...it might involve moving that southbound bus-stop further south (red marker) and providing a unbroken walkway to the ped underpass (blue line).

The twist in the tale will be when palace grounds land from gayathri vihar entrance (near mekhri circle) to Cauvery jn will be used to create more lanes with trees in the middle.

How many lanes do they plan to widen it to..10?! Which still might be ok if they use some as frontage roads on the northbound lanes. Hope it also gives BBMP a chance to revisit the biggest faux-pas on that stretch (aka Cauvery underpass) and upgrade it to a trumpet interchange.

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your behaviour can cause cascading effects ----  really educative, if some one wants to learn

So very true !

 Since the time I took the pledge and watched the videos few days, I have noticed a significant shift in my driving behaviour. I have now counted the number of time I have honked to get someone out of my way i.e. a slower moving vehicle in front of me, practically to a zero. My word to myself, which is what the pledge is, works in a magical way.

I have also noticed that I now slow down as I approach a traffic signal whereas the behavior earlier was to speed up, in the hope of crossing the signal before it turned from Green to Orange.

So guys, thanks for creating the pledge. I am sure it will have a significant impact on people who sign up and then act as role models for others.

A suggestion, if I may, please make the pledge simple. In its current form, it is too wordy. A simple rule of communication is that it be short , simple and as direct as follows. A sample which I have noted down that worked for me ( in the last few days )

I know that the change begins with me. Before I ask and expect others to change, I will be a disciplined driver.

 

1. I promise to not use the horn unless absolutely necessary

2. I promise not to do zigzag driving and stick to my lane, even at the cost of being few minutes late

3. I promise to slow down while approaching a traffic signal, even if it is green

4. I will never cross the line before zebra crossing, while at a signal

5. I will respect the right of pedestrians crossing at a zebra crossing, by stopping completely, if required.

6. I promise to drive within the specified speed limits, even if the road is vacant ( empty, free...)

 

I am a proud " Disciplined Driver, a role model for others"

Cheers

 

Sunil Arora

 

 

I had clicked this pic for my other post.....here you have no option but to drive in the middle of the road......!!!!

after working in the UK for sometime i tried this experiment driving in a lane for sometime,but soon realised that i was being overtaken by everyone in a hapazard way and had to quit it soon. ........  but have  learnt to drive safely and in a disciplined way, honk when really required.....not sure if i follow the lane discipline....    ;)

Will give it a try again and see how it goes........!!!

 

 

 

This above photo is the view from my rear view mirror at ejipura signal when coming from the domlur flyover, showing how the yellow bus is standing covering the 2 lanes, i should say, standing on the 2 lanes and hence no other traffic can come from its right too, not even the right turning traffic. The cascading effect is seen in the image above as well as see the below image where I have taken from the front windshield.

 

Now, to make it more worse, this bus didn't take the right turn also, it went staight, now think, how much space had got wasted because of that bus.

 

 I had a bad experience when I was going on my two wheeler parallely with an auto on a two lane road inside peaceful locality, an errant driver in Maruti Alto ,with 2 kids was driving rashly on the wrong side to overtake us. When both me and auto guy were maintaining  our own pace, he suddenly turned left from extreme right  after overtaking both of us on the wrong side blocking the way. Both me and auto had to apply sudden brakes. I lost my nerves, I had to goto hospital  and didn't wanted to have confrontation with the Alto driver.

He had 2  small kids one of around 3 yrs and another less than 5 years in the front of the car with no one holding them nor tied up with seat belt and this guy driving so rashly on the wrong side.

I noted down the number and tried to call 103. Either it is engage or no one picks.

People have gone crazy after buying cars. I see many of our relatives who used to be so nervous 2 wheeler drivers, not even going past 40, drive so rashly in cars since they think they are safer within cars.

 

 In this case, auto driver has positioned correctly. Hence creating no confusion and clear formation. Note auto driver has not crossed zebra lines. Not squeezed just because there is space left and right to him. Even BMTC bus has aligned properly. This was first rare scene of discipline. Location: below silkboard fly-over.

 

 

They give scant regard to pedestrians waiting to cross! Even if there is someone waiting on the median to cross, the expectation seems to be that the vehicles can continue on the median, while the pedestrains step back to other lane!

 

 See how a Hoysala Bangalore Traffic Police Patrol Vehicle is stopped across a road. This vehicle blocked 50% of road, in other words left lane is totally occupied. Not sure what is the reason by stopping in such a position. I am not commenting on it. The location is Garvebhavipalya signal. Picture taken from Garvebhavipalya Road, very narrow road. If half road blocked, its standstill there. 

 

 

 

Location Koramangala. in Kripanidhi College signal. Vehicle is entering from 4th block side. Time approx 8.45am.

No need to mention, there was chaos and traffic jam for 7 mins.

I will open up another fresh thread to note all such scenes all across the bangalore and then somehow will show up to BMTC officials, that how are they training their drivers? and at the same time will show up to Police officials that why enforcement is needed to lessen the traffic jam before jump on to road widening or cutting the trees.

Anitha,

Very true and these are just the very basic problems in the roads, the very basic fixes are also available, if we can see them and solve them, we don't need to cut the trees and widen the road always to unblock the traffic jams.

Buses not stopping at bus stops or standing in 2nd or 3rd lane, ( not completely buses' fault, its also the people waiting for buses), but the main thing here is .. nobody fears anything, nobody fears of police or even they don't fear about their life and they are throwing their life in danger by standing at middle of the road. That's where I say we need a lot of enforcement, we are still uneducated or illiterate people who can't understand where to stand and where to wait or respect others or how to drive and where to stop? We deserve to be played upon by the authorities with a stick in hand. We deserve that. Someone should be standing there with a stick in hand and making sure that people stand on the footpath or bus-stops and then buses also stop where they should, without blocking other vehicle's way.

To worsen the problem, many times, at such scenes, you would another bus will come from behind and try to overtake this bus standing between 2nd and 3rd lane and eat up all the three lanes by standing 45 degrees on the road, and it will take a hell lot of time to clear such kind of mess on road.

Deepak