@IDS- The issue was about assurance on how the money that the public pays will be used for the public benefit- this has nothing to do with 'world poverty' or 'best PT service'. But of course, like you said, you can take any issue and link to corruption. So how do you deduce that we should overlook that? Why is that not indicative of something that is visible in plain sight? Maybe there is also a need to define the line which separates ‘excuse’ and ‘reason’.

@ss87- Surely this story happened a long time ago, when there were no buses plying the IRR (and that was long after the IRR existed for use). Yes, of course, the situation might be very different now with regard to the frequency of buses. But I have no clue if the attitude of the drivers (about stopping or not stopping), convenient frequencies in any route, attitude of the on-board staff  (recently there was this article in Bangalore mirror about a guy who was dragged on for some distance stuck in a closing door) etc. have improved. Also, I am sure that the police apathy (or may be just helplessness) and hijra extortion (recently there were reports on how some eunuchs beat up some girls in the forum junction at koramangala for not paying up) has not changed, if not become worse.

@ Naveen- The arguments are these actually:

1)      Corruption and government apathy & inefficiencies lead to environment not conducive to people choosing public transport over the comfort of their vehicles.

2)      People tend to use their cars even after being aware of the above problems and they are skeptical anything can be done to improve the situation. Unfortunate truth, but truth nevertheless.

Don’t see any fallacy there. Will help if you can point out the kind of fallacy. Actually to me, there looks like there is a 'Post Hoc' in what you say.

 @IDS, ss87, Naveen-

I agree it will be almost impossible to eradicate corruption. And Naveen is right; we need to do our bit to stem the rot. But the point is that careful study in that direction is needed before we conclude we cannot stem the rot to the required extent to implement the design being developed here and also ensure that this implementation cannot be tampered with. Educated people are not giving up or saying nothing can be done, they are fuming with nowhere to go and nowhere to start.

For the sake of implementing a possible set of actionable points that might evolve from here, our implementation plan should foremost propose how to actually implement effectively.  Let’s take up one bit at a time and let that one bit become inaccessible, off-limits to people who want to use the system for short cuts and corrupt it. We need to also know that the first will be the most difficult. Not only parking charges, corruption will have to be the first filter in any implementation. We need to be our own devil’s advocate and figure out all possible methods by which one can corrupt the design and plug those holes there. Will be a lot of side work, but they will be key to the thing working. We can do this or we we will be forced to pay up and sit and pray.

When designing and implementing a system, we need to know our variables (those are very different than those of Stockholm's).

a. The quantifiable aspect- What causes congestion in Bangalore?- Buying power (more cars), spontaneous growth (unplanned, unmanaged), Traffic data for different corridors, extrapolated road widths which will work for the future, development plans that give indication of number of parking needed at various locales etc.

b. The intangible aspect- what drives people to choose cars over PT? Both Direct and indirect causes. This is more like a marketing exercise- to understand Indian psyche. This is more important because this is what will be goal, the objective- to make people choose PT over cars.

c. Implementation strategy- a SWOT on this for starters. This will play a key role in the realization of the design. Will be key to achieving desired results.

These are just broad categories that involve extensive work, especially the 'c' part. All these are different in Bangalore than Stockholm! Just congestion charges and parking charges are not going to cut it.

 Stockholm and Bangalore? Apples and oranges.

Why?

... any implementation of parking/congestion charges should have reduction in number of entries made into CBD, and pollution levels in CBD as targets, with some clear number goals, from X to Y

Do we know the numbers today? No, and that perhaps is the first difference with Stockholm :)

i wish the following be addressed:-

1. why should bbmp be denied of revenue? why should parking management be awarded third party contractors through rigged auctions? parking revenue is definitely worth a whole lot more than what BBMP gets through payments from contractors. why not directly employ persons directly? there are thousands people who are in dire need of minimum wages more than contractors acting as fronts for politicians bidding for parking tenders.

2. the terms of parking as contained on tickets used to read, BBMP is not responsible for theft/loss/damage to vehicle. when i pay a fee, i expect 360 degree service. BBMP ought take insurance to cover such claims when a vehicle is parked in their designated parking lot.

3. dishonest attendents manning the lots. even today, at  the Complex in Jayanagar 4th Block, the attendents carrying portable ticket printing machines, do not issue a receipt in the first place. all motorists are in a hurry to leave, so they pay without collecting any receipt. the revenue is there by under reported. morever only when inisisted upon, a receipt, the time that is punched in is false.

4. how about having equitable gender distribution in attendents employed and addressing their needs like social security, work wear, means to protect themselves from weather with a raincoat or umbrella , pollution masks and a torchlight it times of power failure? if shopping malls can do it, so can BBMP. when petrol bunks are allotted in whatever quotas to families in need. when low cost housing projects are implemented, why not parking contracts be allotted on similar basis?

5. traffic police do not actively work in sync with BBMP. we citizens, have on innumerable times violate the law by parking in restricted areas. the parking zones have been demarcated without addressing the concerns of the stakeholders at the grass root level.

6. why is this poll limited to cars ( i hope SUVs are included) ? what about bicycles, motorcycles, Heavy Commercial Vehicles? we need a policy on parking in Urban Areas. Provide free bicycle parking at all places - commercial,government,educational establishment as policy to encourage alternative means of transport postively impacting the environment. also subsidized parking for electric/hybrid vehicles

7. what about an one-time fee imposed on every vehicle registered in the city of Bangalore? if parking fee is indeed charged, then RTO ought to do away with the Road Tax.

i will defintely pay parking fee no matter how much it is fixed, knowing that it is not serving a businessman's need but is actually sustaining a family directly. (see point 4). i am pretty positve the car owning citizens will be sold to the idea of the difference they make when their parking fee goes directly to the one's in need. we need civic governence with a social conscience.

this may sound as whining about all the problems, but no action being taken. my intention is clear that i use this post, only as a sounding board. i hope, in sharing these views, may enable somebody,somewhere to make a postive impact ~the butterfly effect...............