Thursday, May 31, 2012
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
On your way to airport Board the green buses
BMTC Says Colour Coding Helps People Identify The Correct Routes
Want to have a cheaper ride Hop on to the orange bus.Heading to the suburbs Then it's bottle green bus.Going to airport Take the green bus.
In a months time,BMTC will operate an all-green fleet of Vayu Vajras to the airport.Presently,its a mix of red and green buses.
Sticking to a particular colour makes it easy for people to understand that green buses are the ones which go to the airport.Also,these buses are environment friendly,therefore the green paint, said CS Anand,chief mechanical engineer (production and transport planning),BMTC.
BMTC has a colour code in place for its fleet of 6,250 buses.Though the choice of the colour is random for most routes,we tend to make it more specific in certain places, said Anand.
While the Big 10 buses come decked with a rectangular and zebra marking in light green and yellow with black stripe,there are the crimson red buses with graphics that run on all city routes.
Then there are the blue JNNURM buses,non air-conditioned but comfortable.The orange and green colour band Atal Sarige buses,with less fare,cater mostly to the lower middle class commuters.
There is a concept of branding wherein we associate specific services with buses running in that route.We mostly go for attractive colours,and consider uppermost the route on which the vehicles run, said Anand.
COLOUR CODE SIMPLIFIED
Vayu Vajra:
all green fleet in another month's time.Service is available round-the-clock,providing seamless connectivity between important areas of the city and the airport.
Vajra:
Hard to miss,as the red,orange and blue buses operate in almost all localities,including arterial and Ring Roads of Bangalore.
BIG10:
A combination of green and bottle green,BIG10 buses operate in 12 major corridors,connecting mostly the surrounding suburbs in the city - Hosur Road,Bannerghatta Road,Sarjapur Road,Kanakapura Road,Mysore Road etc.
Pushpak and Pushpak Plus:
Ivory and raw-silk arrow on the bus's body with the whole body being sand colour
Pushpak Eco Plus:
Mostly white and green buses
READ THE COLOUR: In a months time,BMTC plans to operate an all-green fleet of Vayu Vajras to the airport.Its a mix of red and green buses at present
BLORE COULD GET SUBURBAN RAIL TOO
COMMUTERS CHEER: Bangaloreans Can Envisage Local Train Links In Future
NEW LINKS: The Suburban Commuter Rail System project has been envisioned for 2027
Colour Code Will Make Ride On BMTC Buses A Breeze
The city could well be going the Mumbai way.In a first step to revive
suburban trains for better connectivity into the city,Rail Indian
Technical and Economic Services (RITES ) will ready the feasibility
study by June first week.The Suburban Commuter Rail System will connect
nearby highdensity locations like Ramanagaram,Mandya,Chikkaballapur and
Hosur to the city.
RITES is ready to hand over the feasibility study to the Directorate of Urban Land Transport (DULT).Its feasibility study will be completed by Mayend and submitted anytime now.Once this is read and understood,stakeholders can meet to take the project forward, V Manjula,commissioner,DULT told Media.
Sources in the urban land transport department told Media the study will look into the infrastructure available with the railways,what more needs to be created for commuter routes and cost.
The project is envisioned for 2027 and ground surveys and studies whether Karnataka needs such a system to connect to its capital city were done by 2006-07.But South Western Railway demanded a second study on proposed routes to understand the need of commuters,based on which a detailed project report could be worked upon.
Manjula said in the present system,only a skeletal service is operating and to enhance better commuter rail services,the number of services has to be improved.She also said the Suburban Commuter Rail System will look into these aspects.Sources also said RITES is looking at four major routes which will not clash with the Metro rail but provide connectivity to Metro stations.
For example,if a person is travelling from Ramanagaram to Kengeri,he should be able to travel within the city by accessing the Kengeri Metro station,planned in Phase 2 or even access the Mysore Road terminal of Phase 1 which will be ready by mid-2014.
TIMES VIEW
For commuters desperate for any transport solution which makes life a little easier,the suburban rail system is welcome.Many experts have been pushing for better use of the old rail network which has fallen into disuse.This is an opportunity for the railways to ferry the increasing number of people from outlying areas to the city centre and cash in the sheer scale of the operation.It also taps the advantage of interlinking suburbs by bypassing central hubs.
THE PROJECT
The system is to provide railway connectivity from suburban areas to urban locations,like the ones operating in Mumbai,Kolkata and Hyderabad.The travel time of one hour by rail,which is generally a distance of 40-60 km radial from the city,is looked for developing such a system.All these trains moving in these routes will also come towards Bangalore City railway station but not halt here.Sources in DULT told Media the trains could be moving in directions along inter-changeable routes like a train from Ramanagaram to Kengeri can also head up to Yeswanthpur and travel towards the Yelahanka-Doddaballapur line too.
RITES is ready to hand over the feasibility study to the Directorate of Urban Land Transport (DULT).Its feasibility study will be completed by Mayend and submitted anytime now.Once this is read and understood,stakeholders can meet to take the project forward, V Manjula,commissioner,DULT told Media.
Sources in the urban land transport department told Media the study will look into the infrastructure available with the railways,what more needs to be created for commuter routes and cost.
The project is envisioned for 2027 and ground surveys and studies whether Karnataka needs such a system to connect to its capital city were done by 2006-07.But South Western Railway demanded a second study on proposed routes to understand the need of commuters,based on which a detailed project report could be worked upon.
Manjula said in the present system,only a skeletal service is operating and to enhance better commuter rail services,the number of services has to be improved.She also said the Suburban Commuter Rail System will look into these aspects.Sources also said RITES is looking at four major routes which will not clash with the Metro rail but provide connectivity to Metro stations.
For example,if a person is travelling from Ramanagaram to Kengeri,he should be able to travel within the city by accessing the Kengeri Metro station,planned in Phase 2 or even access the Mysore Road terminal of Phase 1 which will be ready by mid-2014.
TIMES VIEW
For commuters desperate for any transport solution which makes life a little easier,the suburban rail system is welcome.Many experts have been pushing for better use of the old rail network which has fallen into disuse.This is an opportunity for the railways to ferry the increasing number of people from outlying areas to the city centre and cash in the sheer scale of the operation.It also taps the advantage of interlinking suburbs by bypassing central hubs.
THE PROJECT
The system is to provide railway connectivity from suburban areas to urban locations,like the ones operating in Mumbai,Kolkata and Hyderabad.The travel time of one hour by rail,which is generally a distance of 40-60 km radial from the city,is looked for developing such a system.All these trains moving in these routes will also come towards Bangalore City railway station but not halt here.Sources in DULT told Media the trains could be moving in directions along inter-changeable routes like a train from Ramanagaram to Kengeri can also head up to Yeswanthpur and travel towards the Yelahanka-Doddaballapur line too.
Sunday, May 27, 2012
Railway Overbridge to speed up Tumkur Road- Bellary Road commute
DOUBLE DOSE:Traffic jams on the stretch connecting Tumkur Road and BEL
and Hebbal in Bangalore, are very common, thanks to two sets of railway
gates.— Photo: K. Gopinathan
Those forced to wait for long at the Jalahalli railway level crossing, one of the busiest in the city both for movement of trains as well as road traffic, may find their ordeal somewhat assuaged a year from now. There are two railway lines here, and consequently, two sets of railway gates.
To get around this bottleneck, the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) and the South Western Railway (SWR) plan to construct a road overbridge (ROB) to link the stretches of the Outer Ring Road (ORR) dissected by the Bangalore-Tumkur Railway line and a loop railway line.
Sources told The Hindu that they expect work on the Rs. 28-crore project to be completed in a year. This 1.1-km structure will have two carriageways of 5.5 m each.
The ORR, connecting Tumkur Road and Bellary Road passes through defence (Air Force) property just after Tumkur Road before it crosses the railway lines and thence to Jalahalli village and BEL Circle before joining Bellary Road.
Daily ordeal
It is a daily ordeal for those commuting on this stretch of the ORR. K. Nagaraj Karanth, a software engineer who lives in Nagarabhavi, says he is forced to wait at least 15-20 minutes at the level crossing every day to his workplace near Hebbal and back.
While it is a smooth drive from Nagarabhavi till Goraguntepalya Junction on the ORR, a distance of about 7 km, driving the next one km is a nightmare. These days he has started to use the HMT Link Road.
The stretch between Goraguntepalya and Jalahalli sees heavy movement of lorries as it is the only road connecting Tumkur Road, Bellary Road and Old Madras Road. Thousands of heavy vehicles ply on this road every day and the two-lane road as well as the railway crossing don't help, a traffic police constable posted nearby pointed out.
Belling the cat
The traffic police, which is stretched regulating traffic, is now concerned with traffic diversions to facilitate the ROB construction. While alternatives are being examined, including allowing traffic on HMT Link Road or via Yeshwanthpur and C.N.R. Rao Circle, it feels these roads may not be able to cope with lorry traffic.
Assistant Commissioner of Police (Traffic-North), R.N. Nataraj told The Hindu that the only viable alternative is the vacant defence land just next to the railway tracks on the ORR. The authorities concerned, BDA, SWR and Traffic Police, have requested the Defence authorities to provide the land temporarily for traffic diversion, he said.
While the ROB on HMT Link Road cannot take lorry traffic, the incomplete grade separator at C.N.R. Rao Circle may impede diversion via Yeshwanthpur, Mr. Nataraj said.
Those forced to wait for long at the Jalahalli railway level crossing, one of the busiest in the city both for movement of trains as well as road traffic, may find their ordeal somewhat assuaged a year from now. There are two railway lines here, and consequently, two sets of railway gates.
To get around this bottleneck, the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) and the South Western Railway (SWR) plan to construct a road overbridge (ROB) to link the stretches of the Outer Ring Road (ORR) dissected by the Bangalore-Tumkur Railway line and a loop railway line.
Sources told The Hindu that they expect work on the Rs. 28-crore project to be completed in a year. This 1.1-km structure will have two carriageways of 5.5 m each.
The ORR, connecting Tumkur Road and Bellary Road passes through defence (Air Force) property just after Tumkur Road before it crosses the railway lines and thence to Jalahalli village and BEL Circle before joining Bellary Road.
Daily ordeal
It is a daily ordeal for those commuting on this stretch of the ORR. K. Nagaraj Karanth, a software engineer who lives in Nagarabhavi, says he is forced to wait at least 15-20 minutes at the level crossing every day to his workplace near Hebbal and back.
While it is a smooth drive from Nagarabhavi till Goraguntepalya Junction on the ORR, a distance of about 7 km, driving the next one km is a nightmare. These days he has started to use the HMT Link Road.
The stretch between Goraguntepalya and Jalahalli sees heavy movement of lorries as it is the only road connecting Tumkur Road, Bellary Road and Old Madras Road. Thousands of heavy vehicles ply on this road every day and the two-lane road as well as the railway crossing don't help, a traffic police constable posted nearby pointed out.
Belling the cat
The traffic police, which is stretched regulating traffic, is now concerned with traffic diversions to facilitate the ROB construction. While alternatives are being examined, including allowing traffic on HMT Link Road or via Yeshwanthpur and C.N.R. Rao Circle, it feels these roads may not be able to cope with lorry traffic.
Assistant Commissioner of Police (Traffic-North), R.N. Nataraj told The Hindu that the only viable alternative is the vacant defence land just next to the railway tracks on the ORR. The authorities concerned, BDA, SWR and Traffic Police, have requested the Defence authorities to provide the land temporarily for traffic diversion, he said.
While the ROB on HMT Link Road cannot take lorry traffic, the incomplete grade separator at C.N.R. Rao Circle may impede diversion via Yeshwanthpur, Mr. Nataraj said.
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Extravagant plans ground airport traffic
Bellary Road has become a dangerous obstacle course
Even as the city chokes with bottlenecks and contends with potholes made worse by the monsoon, more extravagant plans are being drawn up for the much-gilded new airport road.
This time, a 20-km stretch of the National Highway 7 between the Hebbal flyover and the Bengaluru International Airport, is being widened — for the second time — at a cost of Rs. 600 crore to create a service lane and also accommodate a proposed Rs. 6,900 crore High-Speed Rail Link (HSRL) to the airport. Work on the 34-km HSRL will be taken up by Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd. to connect BIA to the city centre in 25 minutes.
Deadline flouted
By 2014, when these parallel projects on the new airport road are completed, they would have gobbled up around Rs. 10,000 crore.
This includes the Rs. 680-crore elevated expressway being constructed between Hebbal and the international airport that has thrown traffic out of gear for several months now.
A.K. Mathur, Chief General Manager, National Highway Authority of India, Karnataka and Goa, said the 22-km expressway will most likely not meet its deadline of May 2013 because of the lack of funds and hurdles in acquiring land.
“The disruption of toll collection has hit the project. There have been problems in acquiring land from temples on the road,” he told
Work on the elevated expressway on National Highway 7 in Bangalore has
slowed down traffic near Kodigehalli on Bellary Road.
Even as the city chokes with bottlenecks and contends with potholes made worse by the monsoon, more extravagant plans are being drawn up for the much-gilded new airport road.
This time, a 20-km stretch of the National Highway 7 between the Hebbal flyover and the Bengaluru International Airport, is being widened — for the second time — at a cost of Rs. 600 crore to create a service lane and also accommodate a proposed Rs. 6,900 crore High-Speed Rail Link (HSRL) to the airport. Work on the 34-km HSRL will be taken up by Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd. to connect BIA to the city centre in 25 minutes.
Deadline flouted
By 2014, when these parallel projects on the new airport road are completed, they would have gobbled up around Rs. 10,000 crore.
This includes the Rs. 680-crore elevated expressway being constructed between Hebbal and the international airport that has thrown traffic out of gear for several months now.
A.K. Mathur, Chief General Manager, National Highway Authority of India, Karnataka and Goa, said the 22-km expressway will most likely not meet its deadline of May 2013 because of the lack of funds and hurdles in acquiring land.
“The disruption of toll collection has hit the project. There have been problems in acquiring land from temples on the road,” he told
Supreme irony
The irony, however, is that these projects, which are meant to speedily ferry people to the airport, have all but grounded traffic on the road with abysmal lack of planning. The road, which will one day accommodate multiple lanes and levels of traffic, is barely two lanes at several stretches, including at the Sahakarnagar Junction and at the Gandhi Krishi Vignan Kendra.
The stretch is a veritable obstacle course with motorists having to navigate diversions, get past bottlenecks and manoeuvre over drainage slabs that are good six to eight inches higher than the asphalt. The monsoon, no doubt is going to only make matters worse.
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