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HAL: invest before re-opening?

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Written By silkboard - 17 July, 2008

Bangalore Infrastructure HAL Airport Aviation Connectivity suggestion Transportation public transport Aviation

Just for a moment, forget those debates around whether HAL should re-open or not. Lets say a re-opening is coming (via court order, govt forcing its will, or whatever). Then, in the Praja spirit of positivity and high expectations(!), what would be the best ways of re-opening and operating this airport?

For starters, it better be a long term plan, with investments to upgrade the facilities and infrastructure around the airport. Keeping it open for just 3 years will lead to the same old story. Citing planned closure as a reason, AAI or anyone will not invest any serious money. The planned-closure, according to AAI, was the reason they couldn't invest big on the airport over last 3-4 years.

Now, here is this wild idea. What if we re-open HAL as the first pure-public-transport, or zero-parking airport in the world!? Since space is at a premium in this area, we wouldn't have any structures to facilitate parking of cars or cabs. What would that be like? Here are some pictures to dream of this possibility:

[flickr-photo:id=2675905255,size=m]

First up, you would have to make the arrival and departure roads to HAL airport as one ways. That will ensure that big buses can come all the way to the terminal building (PTB).

Apparently, one reason BMTC couldn't run buses till HAL because there wasn't enough space for the buses to move around near PTB. One way approach and exit roads solve some of that. I hear that AAI wants the Indian Oil depot to go away (remember, this has been called out as a safety concern, too close to PTB). With that thing gone, you have a big enough area to work with.

Areas A and B would be available as public transport (Vaayu Vajra, Park and ride shuttles, Hotel shuttles) pick up and drop off points. Area C (which might be available as HAL bus depot is no longer in use now) could be developed as a the nearest park and ride point. Come park your car, take a shuttle or walk to the airport. Private parties could be encouraged to build more park and shuttle areas wherever they wish.

Thinking further, how about forcing the new airport operator to invest on connectivity from surrounding areas. Opening another entry/exit approach or corridors to the airport will be nice, because it would create more options for private parties to build park and ride facilities. How a light/mono rail like thing from Inner Ring Road running around KGA for some distance, and the boundary of HAL airport for most? Provide park and transit complex at the point where this rail would meets IRR, and you take some load off of airport road. Perhaps KGA can offer some land for the purpose. KGA users would sure be happy to pitch in for a re-born airport literally in their backyard :) Anyway, I tried picking out two possibilities for this IRR to Airport link:

[flickr-photo:id=2676890036,size=o]

Love or hate these thoughts, but I only wanted to seed some re-think around HAL via this post. Bottom-line is, if it opens, it better see some creative investments and upgrades, and we should think long term. No 3 years business please, because we know what would happen three years from now - yet another call to keep it open!

Mind you, now is the time to do some construction around HAL airport - while its shut, we have all the time and space to work on it.

COMMENTS

Try Alternative Methods

narayan82 - 17 July, 2008 - 14:36

I support your idea. Maybe HAL is a good place to start encouraging public transport. Maybe Taxis and Cars should be BANNED from parking inside. Only Vaayu Vajras/Air Lifts/Shared Taxis from HAL airport to any other part of the city? Would that be too Radical a thought? If HAL does re open I really hope it isnt a stark reality showcase of the pathetic state it was in compared to the new Airport. Also I hear that if HAL is re-opened then it will be so only for 3 years. How much money would a firm invest knowing its going to be shut down in 3 years?

Satellite Check-in Terminals

sandeepmr - 17 July, 2008 - 20:37

Satellite check-in terminals could be built within 5mile radius of the HAL airport which will prevent choking of the main terminal as well as the approach roads. Lets say if there were 2 terminals built 5 miles apart forming a triangle along with the main terminal, people could use these places to park and check-in and if there were a monorail connectivity between the 3, people can finish security checks in the satellite terminals and direclty enter the gates thru the monorail like many international airports. The monrail will be used to ferry the cargo from the sat terminals too.

Just an ambitious idea.

HAL Landside improvements

Devesh - 18 July, 2008 - 12:45

We cannot ban cars and taxis from HAL. The main attraction of HAL as an in-city airport would be lost. However, the VV and other mass transport services should be given greater importance and cars parking should be kept a distance away from the terminal.

If HAL opens, and they way MoCA is behaving, it is a BIG "IF", it will primarily cater to regional flights, many of which will be "day-trippers". So we can expect less baggage, passengers wanting quick entry and exit, and also long term parking should be considered.

I have made some initial ideas about landside improvements. Click on it to get the bigger image.

Long term multi-storey parking near the current departures entrance. Convert the existing parking in front of departures to bus and pick-up/drop off lanes. Convert the front of the arrival to a gallery and allow for freer exits. One pick up lane. ABSOLUTELY NO STANDING. Have Tigers running around.

Remove the IOC deport and that will open up the whole area for a multi-storey premium short term car park.

The one area I am not able to resolve is the movement of arrivals cars. That will entail a cross over. Slight traffic jam.

Satellite check-in for BIAL is understandable, not for HAL. No standing line for taxis. If they want to park, they can use the L/T parking or the S/T parking.

-----------------------

Regards

Devesh R. Agarwal

Visit my aviation blog at http://aviation.deveshagarwal.com

 

why not public-transport only?

silkboard - 18 July, 2008 - 13:27

Okay, arguable. Cars and taxis dropping passengers off is okay, pick up too is fine. The point is - there should be absolutely no parking allowed at airport. simple reason - space is at a premium. I left the current parking area intact for use by AAI and airline staff, away from the site of main action.

There are no satellite check-in centers. Try take a bus. Otherwise, drop your car at a park and ride complex on airport road (the now empty HAL depot ) or on IRR (near the point for the new connection to the airport), or on ORR (yet another entry point to the airport - don't know how would this be possible). and then take a non-stop shuttle or connecting rail.

The mindset that car's are a must has to go. The revamped HAL airport - let it be the beginning, lets make it the world's first zero-parking airport, something we will all be proud of. Something that the world will copy from us - enough of us copying west's energy and personal-transport heavy concepts :)

Re: Satellite Check-in Terminals

bialterminal - 18 July, 2008 - 00:29

Where is the need then for the HAL airport if there are satellite checkin terminals? Satellite checkin terminals is in the plan for BIA at BRV grounds. Yes, as you said the idea is an ambitious idea and an expensive one at that but doable. While doing it though, the logic should be to plan a rail network for Bangalore city and fit BIA in as an extension. Building an expensive one for BIA and leaving it at that wouldn't be a wise solution considering the big picture.

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