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BTRAC - Cat eyes, Hazard blinkers coming next

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Written By silkboard - 12 January, 2008

Traffic Bangalore environment BTRAC Citizen Reports

While flipping through the papers today, I noticed this KRDCL tender inviting bids (link here) for some interesting things that included road side traffic sign boards (Rs 2.7 crores), cat eyes (57.7 lakhs), hazard blinkers, movable cones, barricades and more - all in all about Rs 5 crore worth of stuff. Not a lot of money, but lets keep watching for these traffic management equipment to appear.

Wonder how and where they'd use the cat eyes. These are shining things that can be embedded on the roads so that lane markings are visible in the nights. There is a mention of "Lane Delineator Tubular Cones" as well. On which roads will they use these lane marking gadgets? First and foremost, BTRAC needs investment (by way of driver education, more cops on the road) and courage to start enforcing lane disciplene in the drivers, lane markers come next. Isn't it?

COMMENTS

cat eyes & nine lives

tsubba - 13 January, 2008 - 17:36

it is strange that krdcl is issuing tenders btrac. do know if they have worked in the palike areas before? is this for mysore road? though it would be strange because maytas & gang were supposed to take care of it. Lane Delineator Tubular Cones (if it is tubular how can it be a cone?) are prolly for the bus lanes. remember the auto lanes used to have them. hopefully they will reuse them. are these for the bellary road? they are going the whole hog on that road. a few days ago, there was news of the palike spending 22 lakhs/month for cleaning that road. they want to employ mechanical sweepers, and manual cleaners on shifts to ensure that the road is clean. (i was rolling my eyes when i read that). btw, do you know who has jurisdiction over the road? on points south of hebbal flyover, palike seems to be doing the works, while on points north of it is the NHAI. talking of cat eyes, i noticed that BMIC, for all its engineering, has neither cat eyes nor does it have reflective paints for lane marking. these things matter when speeds starts to increase and the weather starts to detoriate. i am pretty sure, BMIC is not going to install highmasts and pay for electricity. but more important than cat eyes are those reflective boards that show that the road is turning. nick humphries@flickr well signing is a science of its own. some other day. but comming back to your other question, it is a question of chicken and egg. how can you expect people to be disciplined about driving, when there are no consistent guides to follow the rules? it will take a few years to develop consistency. meanwhile people will behave as if there are no guides and make a mockery of the guides. but once you have guides, then you can enforce with a strict hand.

TRAFFIC IN BANGALORE

maguesh - 15 January, 2008 - 09:40

Dear friend I read ur article and was impressed. I am also doing a research on the traffic menace in Bangalore and would be enriched with knowledge if my questionnaire is being filled by u all. Plz go to the link below and give ur views. http://www.esurveyspro.com/Survey.aspx?id=fe03065c-09a1-4b76-8ac1-a10decfa3cd1

all for BTRAC

silkboard - 27 January, 2008 - 08:50

LAte reply, but Tarle, it clearly said all this stuff is solely for BTRAC. But nobody knows how these are going to be used, and on which roads. That is transparency for you though. If BTRAC project is doing some thinking and planning, they will only earn goodwill and may be even offers of help and support from citizens. But sharing information and taking eventual beneficiaries into confidence before spending public money - that is still not the norm in our city. Bellary Road is getting a lot of attention these days, as should be clear from all these tenders about Mechanical Sweepers, Road lighting etc. I will be sad and surprised if they put any of BTRAC money into this road, BTRAC wasn't meant for Bellary road alone.

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