TRAFFI(C)EASE

We have spent enough time and energy reading articles on how Bangalore traffic is going bad to worse, blaming several departments, cursing other commuters & sometimes our own destiny for having to deal with this tyranny every day…
…and we have noticed that none of the above has yielded any measurable results. So is it not time to set our think tanks on fire and take the horse by the reins rather than sit back & wait for others to clear up the mess for which even we are party?
Everyone can play the blame game. For once can we zip our mouth & try belling the cat? To begin with, we can take up the action path instead of being lame spectators while traversing through the city. We can start collecting details at traffic congestion areas to arrive at the root cause of it – photographs, a write-up on the reason, what can be changed for the better etc... can be documented & shared with Bangalore traffic police, so that they take necessary action which may lead to easing of the congestion, at least to some extent. Please note Bangalore Traffic police are easily reachable & are net savvy – search for Bangalore Traffic Police on Facebook. You can share views, post complaints etc.. And there will be response. But permanent implementation of solution requires some on the road action too..
Following are some of the common practices which we can plainly & regularly see as causes for traffic congestion, without having to peep through a microscope:
- Busses are by far the most detrimental. Although public transport is good, & commuters per road space occupied is highest with a bus, there are many loose areas to be worked upon. There are bus-stops at traffic signals & just before or after flyovers. These are sure to create bottlenecks, more so when two or more buses pile up at the stop & instead of queuing behind one another, they tend to stop beside each other with an aim to overtake & thus gather more passengers. This is a perfect recipe for a jam, as two busses side by side are enough to block the entire road. Also we notice most of the passengers at the bus-stop are waiting on the road rather than on the foot-path or the bus-shelter. Accordingly the bus stops in the middle of the road rather than the side, which again blocks most part of the road. Mind it, it hardly takes seconds for traffic to pile up on such a blockage.
o Shifting the bus-stops from potential congestion areas mentioned above by 50-100m can go a long way in controlling traffic pile up. Some examples of such areas are Hebbal flyover, HAL signal, Mekhri circle.. The only inconvenience to passengers would be walking an extra 50 m, which is not a great deal when compared to the benefits
o The bud-drivers can help by stopping as close to the pedestrian walkway as possible thus giving enough rooms for other vehicles to pass by. Constructing bus-bays would be a great idea, but not practical where there is no room for expansion of the road.
- Auto rickshaws can be a big nuisance. Although the space occupied is less, their actions are highly unpredictable – they can slow down, turn or stop at the drop of a hat on spotting a potential client. When this is inadvertently practiced on congested roads, the consequences can be disastrous. Autos parked at bus-stops & traffic signals where the probability of getting a passenger is high is common sight. This makes things worse for the traffic.
- All other private vehicles can contribute to easing the traffic by resorting to car-pooling, following lane discipline and by not blocking free-left turns. All that is required is a good traffic sense.
- Of course there are other parameters which are under the control of the authorities and not the commuters
o Synchronizing the traffic signals so that there can be free flow
o Maintaining pot-hole free roads; The amount of congestion that a small pot-hole or a hump can cause is difficult to fathom.
o The drainage, OFC laying or the recently in news footpath widening activities are good as long as it is completed on war-footing basis. More the delay in completion of such projects, more the torture. The current state of St.Marks road, Cunningham road & Commissariat road are glaring examples.
o India (and Bangalore) benefited by following the PPP way for road construction. But the failure was in the method of toll collection. What is the point of cruising at 80 kmph to reach the toll plaza a few minutes early, only to spend double or triple the time saved, waiting in a queue?
There is nothing radical in any of the points stated above. It is all common-sense. Also some of these are suggested by traffic cops themselves on their Facebook page. But what can make a difference is we taking a stand to do what it takes to ease the traffic & living by it. It can begin as a pilot project by a bunch of motivated people. But taking the benefit to the masses requires the involvement of passionate volunteers, traffic cops, minor changes to rules of the roads, lots of signboards and most of all a drive to inculcate the awareness among the commuters.
Aristotle said “Given sufficient leverage, I can move the earth.” Although the task sounds Herculean, when the whole city is enrolled towards the common cause, nothing is impossible. Everyone sticks to their comfort zone and gives advice. It’s the easiest and the most obvious thing to do.
For the rest whose blood boils at the sight of an avoidable congestion, let’s cease waiting for a revolution to brew up – Let us be that revolution.

My vision of Modern India

India.

For ignorant scrabble masters it is just a word. For superpowers it is just another country. For Pakistan it is a nightmare. For NRIs it’s a horrible past, hard to forget. For former freedom fighters it is one word provocation. It is a politician’s paradise. An archeologist’s heaven. Battlefield of different religions, homeland of natives. For me it is like a one stop shopping center.

Ask for rich- you get it. Poor- the majority. Culture- there’s a treasure. Communalism- there are places of religious seismicity. Family- the best in the world. War- in every house, everyday. Terror – top to bottom. Underworld- Mumbai special. Humanity- sure. Secularism- scarce, but still there.

One complicated structure our country is. Simple-minded people, yet hard to define. Understanding what is modern in modernized India becomes easier when a comparative study with the past is accomplished.

The Rule: Yesterday, today, forever

Shining armors clashed in those days when a war was declared. The outcome was the armors stained red and a transfer of property between rival kingdoms. Now the fight is for constituencies. In place of armors the traditional white khadi is stained beyond recognition. So is the character. While the kings kept their coins in hidden dungeons, the new the trend is Swiss banks.

Not much reforms regarding the administration. The solution- dissolving the whole political system- is highly impracticable. Its better to seek the grandeur days of Asokas and Akbars.

The diversity

Colours looking neat on a freshly painted canvas fail to sooth the eyes once they get too friendly and interact.

Different religions, customs, traditions and languages all look good on the live telecast of the Republic Day celebrations. But facing the reality is a totally different game. There is always the struggle for supremacy- of one God over the other. There are many more on the likes of Ayodhyas and Godhras to bloom over the scarred body of Mother India.

There is only one God sounds good. There is no God sounds better and might possibly be more effective. Science categorizes Homo sapiens only into two: Man and Woman. But in India Homo-sapiens are categorized beyond just physical features.

Economics

India is a rich country with poor people… and a poor government. Obviously. What with so large a population to control? So many disputes to deal with. Culprits? Public sector is one for instance. Large investments imply large risks. Once risk factor is announced big companies back out of the bid. That leaves the government to take up the task. Be it sheer madness or suicide. After all, the mother can’t desert her own children.

Take for example the mining sector. When the industry needs minerals you just can’t stretch your hand before sister countries. Prospecting, exploration, feasibility study are capital intensive and consume hell a lot of money. And when the result is not affirmative then the government is in for doom. Of course a diversion here and there along the inflow of revenue to fill appropriate pockets is a different topic and is too unholy to be dealt with.

And when a full-fledged integrated firm like Kudremukh Iron Ore Company Limited, easily the best mechanized opencast mine in India and the largest investors on reclamation and environment protection, is plagued by environmentalists, it’s simply the worst of destiny’s wicked games.

Another place where revenue drains is for military causes. When your home is being targeted from all directions you just can’t sit with your legs crossed. As for the never-ending Kashmir issue its better to keep a missile aimed at Islamabad or Karachi and declare “One false move and we show it the way.” After all war is the only means of bringing peace and blood is the only means of quenching thirst. The aftermath- uninterrupted flow of bitter tears from the kins of the holy spirits is heart breaking. But it has been tears all the way for Indians; through four centuries of slavery and four decades of confusion as the country tried to recover against neighbors’ resent.

Might is right

May 13^th 1998 is probably a rebirth of India on the world map when India turned nuclear. It stood sixth behind USA, UK, China, Russia and France. Now that India boasts of Prithvi, Trishul, Akash, Agni series of ballistic missiles as messengers of death, even super powers have to think twice before execution of casual statement.

The reach

IRS and INSAT range of satellites have literally proved that space is the limit for the reach of success. With ISRO masterminding Indian Space Programme, there are more milestones to adorn the technological development of India.

The show world

India is known for entertaining others- be it curious foreigners or the rival prime minister. Indian movies and movie stars are liked by the masses that include even the Taliban rebels. Several Indian names in Oscar nomination list have promised a better quality of pass time.

Such being the prosperity of the vast Democracy what is keeping the country on the back foot? The way of life. There is nothing-called free living or liberalization in India. Everything and every task have to have several prejudices. Beginning a task asks for an auspicious time, a muhurtam, and there are several taboos to be kept at a distance. This and many other parameters have influenced our citizens so much that top IT professionals wish to migrate to the States seeking better status of living. Now that the gates are closing even for them is a different matter.

Thirty years from now I can see a self-sufficient India. The neighbours have grown extremely friendly. We’re exchanging Ayurveda and acupuncture with China. Pakistan has repented for its mistake. There is virtually no border between the sisters and the Kashmiri folk don’t know their nationality. And they don’t care for there is continuous transport, communication and interaction either way. 

India has oil wells along the west coast. Following the tenth five-year plan, thermal power plants have sprung up like mushrooms. Indian satellites are helping communications throughout Asia. A new religion-Indianism-has been adopted and accepted.

Aerial photography of India shows lush green patches covering a majority of area. Everyone is busy working for himself, for his country. There is a transition from the third world to a superpower…

…and then I open my eyes.