That the roads of Bangalore have to be broadened, that Bangalore needs exhuastive public transport systems, that Bangalore needs to integrate services, that Bangalore needs to save its trees & lakes, that Bangalore needs to impose tolls on access to CBD, that Bangalore needs to this & that Bangalore needs to do that have all become common knowledge to Bangaloreans who have been following these issues. Fine, in solving any of Bangalore's problems, there is true value to understanding the problems it faces. i can live with that. But these are all just some of the properties exhibited by any healthy city. Healthy cities world over have integrated services, good public transport etc etc ...
Identifying properties and desirable qualities is not an end by itself. City vision, planning & governance cannnot be just stuck to listing these properties. The critical issue is how to go about acquiring these properties? The fun starts with the identification of the obstacles in achiveing these goals and going about solutions to eliminating those obstacles.
So far nobody seems to be talking of the organization problems in achieiving these goals. Nobody seems to talk of the kind of money that is needed to achieve these goals. Nobody seems to talk of the integrated picture, though all seem to seem to talk of a need for an integrated picture. Ok, you, who is in the big and all seeing position, tell us what the big picture is and how to go about achieving it!
Ok, so we got the CTTP. While it is a good first draft for a city traffic & transit plan, it lacks in detail and depth. naveen had drafted a roster of drawbacks and limitations. Apart from those, for example, it does not talk about personnel issues & it does not talk about lack of local expertise. Hw can the city police govern traffic and be expected to lord over city's traffic issues without even one traffic engineer on its rolls?
The CTTP also does not talk about how it integrates with the CDP of Bangalore. This is the most absurd thing. The Bangalore CDP is a different document and Bangalore CTTP is a different document. If the city planners think that Bangalore can be planned and its problems can be gamed without considerations to traffic and transit issues, and, similarly, transit & traffic could be solved despite all city planning and sprawl issues, then god save bangalore.
it worries me, and, at the risk of sounding too corny and mms-esque, it gives me sleepless nights, to think that most of these things the cities planners seem to say in public, even I a lay man, can anticipate. most have them have reduced the diagonosis of a serious problem to uttering innanities and cliches. the only two recent comments worth some thought and consideration, that i have read in recent times is by A. Ravindra who spoke of the organizational issues and, not too swoon too much over a man, the guv - the guv today said
"The traffic problem is getting grimmer day by day. A comprehensive plan needs to be drawn up for implementation in phases. This problem is not unique to Bangalore. Many other major cities in the country too have faced this problem earlier and they have been able to successfully find a solution to it. We can take a leaf out of their experience."
http://www.hindu.com/2008/01/11/stories/2008011162690300.htm
these are true 'aha' observations.
somebody with the power to do so in Bangalore, need to hire some real experts with solid experience, from IISc, from across India and from across the globe to really sink their teeth into this issues. perhaps a conference 'Bangalore-2030', inviting open papers from all and sundry from across the world and especially the most renowned world experts in world in the area of city planning, transit, sewage, etc etc is due. 50-100 crores on this would be worth more than the best thought out flyover or underpass in Bangalore. Then some body needs to hire real management people like the KPMG, Infosys etc etc... to consolidate these results and get the bottom of organizational structure that can achive these goals. in the long run, even if they lose one year to solid planning it is ok.
guv story:
http://www.hindu.com/2008/01/11/stories/2008011162690300.htm
Cliche's from BMRC's Madhu:
http://bangalorebuzz.blogspot.com/2008/01/big-ideas-for-bangalore-10.html#links
