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"Magic" Mistakes Done .. BBMP must think and step forward

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Written By Photoyogi - 8 April, 2008

Bangalore Infrastructure BBMP

First it was Cauvery Jn : With the narrow underpass, buses or slightly larger vehicles "are" passing through it, but the drivers have to slow down to make sure they don't damage the vehicles. There by slowing all the traffic behind. It was after this, even the BBMP seems to agree that it could have been wider.
This is a series of pictures taken in less than 1 minute we see a traffic buildup of over 100 meters
[flickr-photo:id=2401055192,size=s][flickr-photo:id=2401055352,size=s] [flickr-photo:id=2400223659,size=s][flickr-photo:id=2400223831,size=s] [flickr-photo:id=2400223995,size=s][flickr-photo:id=2400224159,size=s]
AnandNagar Underpass : We all seem to agree that its looks more of a pedestrian crossing than some thing that will allow small cars and 3 wheelers to go thru . Also Note the length of the tunnel is about 85 Ft.
To me it looks like a narrow long corridor. Not to forget if the vehicle traffic does manage to get thru the underpass, pedestrians are going to be stranded on either side.
Lets now put our thinking caps: At the cauvery junction it would have been difficult to have a wider box as that would greatly reduce the width of the "U" turn. (This is what one of the contractors told me) What about Anandnagar Underpass? this section would easily afford a 2 boxes of 18 ft width each V/s the 10 ft underpass that exists now. which would have been an acceptable size. With the BBMP having an ambitious plan of putting up Magic boxes all over the the city, I would say please pause, have you done any traffic analysis before the dimensions were finalized? Note:I am not against the "magic box" technology all i am asking the planners of this great city to put a little thought on the decisions that have been taken. Lets not move from the frying pan to the fire. Does any one have access to the dimensions of the other Magic boxes planned? How can we get them? -- Praveen Sundaram AkA PhotoYogi

COMMENTS

width

narayan82 - 8 April, 2008 - 09:29

If you look at the BDA junction unerpass, the widht of the underpass seemed fine to me. The combined widht of the two sections (12 mts) was the widht that the two roads had before anyways. In fact the road from Seshadripuram isonly 5 mts wide. But again, the concern is of the widht of the ramp. Has the BBMP comprimised on the widht as they couldn't aquire land for the service lanes? It seems that if a buss is passing on the ramp it would be extremly risky for a car to overtake! And considering MANY busses will be plying on this strect frm Windsor Manor Junction to Cauvery Junction (and reverse). I think in the process of experimenting new technology, working last minue, in a hasty fashion we have completed ruined a road to the airport in the Long run.As soon as the traffic increases to 1 and half times the existing volume we will have traffic jams. and these concrete structures will come in the way to building more infrastruction (elevated roads, underpasses, flyovers. So now what do we do?, I suggest we go ahead with the planned underpasses, make them as wide as possible and get on and complete it. Finish all the 7 underpasses make it signal free. I feel we have to develop another signal free road to the airport (I suggest ORR or Lingarajpuram road). And on that road use more viable solutions for the future (conventional flyovers etc etc). Hence untill that constrution is complete citizens will have a signal free ride on the existing road. and hopefully by the time this becomes saturated the other road is ready!

Pause Rethink and Redesign

santsub - 8 April, 2008 - 19:19

Underpasses with magic boxes - some one must have done a Power point presentation to the BBMP. Can we do a design analysis and then build underpasses? I guess building interchanges at these junctions with provisions  to build road over road and accomodate railway network should be the goal. Underpasses cannot withstand the pressure if we have to build a road over it. This quickfix solution will further dampen the prospects of building better infrastructure.

 BBMP should stop and rethink before executing another disaster.

Magic Boxes - Suitable for public transport only

Naveen - 9 April, 2008 - 04:06

Praveen, Narayan82 & others,

As I had suggested, these underpasses cannot be made successful for normal thoroughfare traffic as traffic volumes will keep increasing & these narrow underpasses will turn out to be obstacles.

From the beginning, I had thought that they would be more suitable if only public transport buses were allowed to use them for according priority of passage & for quick transits - this is the way rapid bus systems have evolved & have been made successful in many cities outside India. Here, in this country, we have become car & private vehicle obsessed & criticize public transport for obstructing passage on the roads, but if the quality of public transport is improved & accorded priority of passage exclusively through these magic boxes, including the vajra volvo buses going to the new airport, whilst cars & other private vehicles are made to go through signal delays, automatically, people will switch over to the faster public buses & this will lead to some control in traffic volumes, maybe even some reduction in due course if such magic boxes & road over drains are exclusive to public transport vehicles.

I am convinced that this is the only way forward to control traffic volumes - any no. of wider fly-overs or underpasses will not be enough as it will only lead to even more motoristaion & traffic & even more congestion at the next signal or junction - where again another flyover will be required in an endless cycle, as we have already seen in the past.

Whilst a good network of roads is required, control mechanisms for the volumes of traffic must also be in place, which at present is practically Nil & the car /vehicle owning public keeps asking for more & more flyovers /multi-level garages & elevated expressways - this is wasteful & endless.

Re: Magic Boxes - Suitable for public transport only

Photoyogi - 9 April, 2008 - 06:10

Naveen, I know the point about reduction of congestion by the use of Public transport. I am also an advocate of the same philosophy. I urge you to read my initial post again. Width of anandnagar underpass - ~10Ft Width of Cauvery Underpass - ~12 Ft I dont think these dimensions are suitable for public transport, and wrt Anandnagar u/p the location can afford a wider underpass. Let alone the fact that at both these places pedestrians have been ignored. -- Praveen Sundaram AkA PhotoYogi

Magic bo(hoa)x!

navshot - 8 April, 2008 - 08:44

I agree - we should pause, gather data, extrapolate for next 15-20 years, design well and execute well. 

I think this is a great technology. Only, BBMP has not applied it correctly. In the case of Cauvery u/p, if you don't consider other design flaws, if not the width, atleast the length of the u/p could have been more. It would have allowed vehicles taking U-turn on the top, more space to maneuver. Now only one bus can move at a time on top of the u/p.

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