‘Make public transport must’

‘Make public transport must’
Deccan Herald, in its Sunday edition, carried an article on the vehicular traffic congestion in the central business district of the Bangalore City. Our readers have sent their reactions/suggestions to overcome the problems. Here are some of them.

Impose ban

An immediate solution could be to stop all the vehicular traffic on these roads (Brigade, Commercial and MG roads) except emergency services (ambulance, fire, police etc).

A beginning could be made with at least Brigade Road and Commercial Street.

BMTC can help with these traffic congestions. There should be mini, conductor-less AC buses plying on these roads with stops at major points. It should be made mandatory for everyone to use the public transport. There should be frequent trips so that no inconvenience is caused to anyone.

The commuters of these buses should obtain a monthly or a quarterly magnetic pass/card which can be configured to open the automatic door of the bus. User-friendly vending machines can be installed at major points where the passengers can get the bus boarding cards without any difficulty.

These buses should be clean and well-maintained. One can even think of the double-decker open top buses which currently ply in London. The authorities can check with the bus company there and ask them if they would take up the assignment at a cost.

For the parking of cars, they can designate a common place near the Parade Grounds where they can have multi-storeyed car parking slots. These buses should start from there.

This would ease the traffic situation in those areas and also generate an extra income to the State government by way of tickets, parking fee, advertisement in buses. Neon sign boards can be fixed to generate more revenue.

—S Narayanan

(Bangalorean, based abroad; reacting after reading DH on the Web)

VVIP movement

The account of your meeting with our City ‘stake-holders’ was most disappointing. The first jarring note was in saying that Cubbon Road is being used for VVIP movement, meaning politicians.

It is time we gave up the colonial idea of civil servants being our masters. Let them face the same problems that more productive members of our society face everyday.

The police would be happy if there was no entertainment at all for citizens so that everyone stayed at home. Downtown is the place where activity should be and people are voting with their feet. This has to be accommodated and not discouraged.

Finally, the selfishness of both the police and the Defence authorities is appaling. The Parade grounds are generally not in use during the peak shopping hours and compromises should be made. In fact, there are so many churches and schools in the area that they should also open up their space for parking with appropriate charges.

—Prof Jayant Murthy

(Indian Institute of Astrophysics, Koramangala)

Two alternatives left

In the absence of a comprehensive plan to solve the burgeoning traffic problems, there can be no solution for decongestion of the roads in and around the business hub of Bangalore other than taking over the Manekshaw Grounds lying in utter disuse for most part of the year. For the flyover at Mekhri Circle, did not the government take over the vast compound surrounding the row of houses along the Jayamahal Road? The Defence ministry should and will yield to the demand for land for a public cause.

In case of any hitch in taking over the Manekshaw Grounds, the alternative solution lies in shops opening in two different shifts. About 50 per cent of the shops should be open from say, 6 am to 2 pm and the rest from 2 pm to 10 pm, which will ease the traffic snarls without adversely affecting the business of the shopkeepers.

—H Narayanan

(nanan1129@rediffmail.com)

CHAOS CENTRAL

Bangalore’s central business district stares at imminent saturation, as shopper rush and traffic snarls redefine chaos on M G Road, Brigade Road and Commercial Street. While stakeholders pursue quick-fix alternatives, long-term solutions continue to be elusive. Starting today, Deccan Herald brings to you a series on the issues that plague the commercial hub of your City. Have your say. If you have suggestions to decongest these three roads, write in your concerns/suggestions to the Editor, Deccan Herald, 75 M G Road, Bangalore — 560 001 or email: editor@deccanherald.co.in