Infrastructure

Bengaluru has a lot of flights landing and taking off in the early hours of the morning.  But if passengers are looking for Vayu Vajra buses, they will find that at precisely the hours when many international flights land or take off (and in order to get to and from the airport at the right time), there will be no Volvo buses plying. Let me take one example. British Airways out of Bengalurue departs at 7 am. This means that passengers must be at the airport by 5 am at the latest, preferably half-an-hour earlier. Let's say the passenger lives…

For the first time, I feel that the long-sought Commuter Rail System is within reach. The state government appears willing to fund this in the Budget, and an initial round of money should help create the momentum for building out the solution in the next 3-4 years. And the national government too appears broadly ok with the plan. With this, the frustrating cycle of each waiting for the other to act will hopefully come to an end. Many people have been part of trying to make this happen, and if it does - as seems likely - we should count…

For the first time, I feel that the long-sought Commuter Rail System is within reach. The state government appears willing to fund this in the Budget, and an initial round of money should help create the momentum for building out the solution in the next 3-4 years. And the national government too appears broadly ok with the plan. With this, the frustrating cycle of each waiting for the other to act will hopefully come to an end. Many people have been part of trying to make this happen, and if it does - as seems likely - we should count…

It's always nice to see the variety of vehicles in Bangalore, but surely this silve chariot, parked outside the gates of Gayatri Vihar (the new board says Sheesh Mahal...sheesh!) takes the traffic cake!   I suppose it's pulled by whiite horses...and pulls the bridegroom towards his matrimonial adventures....!

It's always nice to see the variety of vehicles in Bangalore, but surely this silve chariot, parked outside the gates of Gayatri Vihar (the new board says Sheesh Mahal...sheesh!) takes the traffic cake!   I suppose it's pulled by whiite horses...and pulls the bridegroom towards his matrimonial adventures....!

Here's a message that I received at 8.45 pm on Feb 20th 2016. Public meeting has been organised on 21st Feb at BMRCL office Shanthinagarat 11 am in connection with Constructn of Metro station in LaxmanRao park area.Pl attend.Srinivas, Chief Engineer, BMRCL  If citizens are told at 8.45 pm (that, too, by email, which they may not see on a Saturday evening) that there is to be a public meeting the next morning (Sunday) at 11 am, how many of them can turn up? Sundays are planned with family or hobbies in mind, well in advance. Can BMRCL not give citizens a few days' notice when a…

Here's a message that I received at 8.45 pm on Feb 20th 2016. Public meeting has been organised on 21st Feb at BMRCL office Shanthinagarat 11 am in connection with Constructn of Metro station in LaxmanRao park area.Pl attend.Srinivas, Chief Engineer, BMRCL  If citizens are told at 8.45 pm (that, too, by email, which they may not see on a Saturday evening) that there is to be a public meeting the next morning (Sunday) at 11 am, how many of them can turn up? Sundays are planned with family or hobbies in mind, well in advance. Can BMRCL not give citizens a few days' notice when a…

"Better than nothing" is not progress. It's just better than nothing. If we set our metrics so low, we can never develop. Take the example of buses. The city needs about 13,000 to 15,000 buses to reach the kind of service levels that are seen in places with excellent bus service globally (1,250 buses per million of population). Also, each year, as the population grows, the fleet strength has to grow by about 200-300. That's the need. The actual fleet strength now is 6,500. And each year, 600 buses are scrapped, so these need to be replaced to keep the…

"Better than nothing" is not progress. It's just better than nothing. If we set our metrics so low, we can never develop. Take the example of buses. The city needs about 13,000 to 15,000 buses to reach the kind of service levels that are seen in places with excellent bus service globally (1,250 buses per million of population). Also, each year, as the population grows, the fleet strength has to grow by about 200-300. That's the need. The actual fleet strength now is 6,500. And each year, 600 buses are scrapped, so these need to be replaced to keep the…

Who has the right to park on the street? For how long? And at what price? These are questions that every city faces, and universally they have come up with some practical ways of answering them. The core of these is that parking cannot be free everywhere. There may be areas where it does not need to be priced, but surely where there is high demand for parking space, it is important to price the use of public space by vehicles. Such pricing, it is assumed, will discipline people into using their vehicles less and wherever they continue to use…