Mass Rapid Transit in India

Kashi · Post by **Kashi** » 18 Jun 2017 10:59

Kochi Metro team has done a really splendid job. The fastest and longest first phase to be commissioned

Courtesy: Railnews.co.in

ashish raval · Post by **ashish raval** » 18 Jun 2017 12:39

Thanks Vermaji!! Travelling through sea to middle east for thousands of years gives gujjus unique insight from the day of arrival of Parsis of Iran in Gujarat to providing business and thriving opportunities to Ahmediyya..these is why there is a saying 'jya jya vase Gujarati tya than vase Gujarat' means 'wherever a gujju settles, Gujarat gets settled too' staying true to your roots without necessarily accepting shallow explanation is the key.

vina · Post by **vina** » 19 Jun 2017 10:19

Karthik S wrote:Looks like NS line will help me complete my "to do" things in bang, CTR and Vidyarthi Bhavan.

Absolutely. Same here for me. Vidyarthi Bhavan & CTR .. Yummy.

Also DAILY commute for me ! I took the Metro this morning to work. Oh, Bangalore is SOOO beautiful ,when you ride along RV College Rd (I got in at RV College), you look down on the canopy , you see the Garden City of old.

Still the X Ray machines are under installation etc. etc. I got the "Varshik" smart card, topped it with Rs 1000 for now and later will top it up from the mobile app / online.

The fares are SO cheap . Brilliant. Beats everything that is out there, including the BMTC Volvo and even Uber /Ola share.

If only the Govt Jackasses had got this on the ground 10 years ago, and got the link to E-City from South Bangalore and along ORR to Whitefield working, things would be so MUCH less congested in Bangalore. But no, they want to run some idiotic nonsensical "Bhagya" scheme somewhere which seems like a bottomless pit, with nothing to show for.

asgkhan · Post by **asgkhan** » 19 Jun 2017 15:56

I dread the day they start digging up the ORR for metro. WFH requests will shoot up I am sure in my KB.

arvin · Post by **arvin** » 19 Jun 2017 19:43

asgkhan wrote:I dread the day they start digging up the ORR for metro. WFH requests will shoot up I am sure in my KB.

In that sense Kudos to Mumbai's planners to execute Andheri - Ghatkopar road as the first line. Lots of Bizness parks on either side just like ORR with an added fun of International airport.

srin · Post by **srin** » 26 Jun 2017 08:25

Took a morning joyride on Blr metro yesterday, and I'm not impressed.
Firstly, they changed the schedule on Sundays - the first train starts at 8 am, instead of 5am. Ostensibly for more maintenance, but surely they can do better than that ? So, there was a huge crowd waiting outside even before the station doors opened. So much crowd that the security trying to scan bags and people, just started randomly picking individuals from the flood of people.
The frequency of 15 mins was so little that I had to stand all the way even after the interchange to purple line at Majestic. While not in the same class as Mumbai local, it still reminded me of days of old BTS when I used to travel to school.
I also wish they had railings at the stations to prevent people from randomly standing. The queues were enforced in Majestic and purple line, but at JP Nagar station - it was complete chaos.

Good things ? Smartcard is very convenient, Majestic interchange is well done, and stations are clean ...

JTull · Post by **JTull** » 29 Jun 2017 18:00

Why Lucknow Finds Itself In A ‘Metro Mess’, And How Other Cities Can Avoid It

The Lucknow Metro, which has been touted to be the fastest-built metro in the country, poses some interesting questions. Should every city having population above a certain metric be given a metro rail by default? Is metro rail the answer to urban mobility for every town? Is Delhi the benchmark? Did Lucknow not learn from the lessons of Jaipur which is seeing a steep fall in ridership?

Theo_Fidel · Post by **Theo_Fidel** » 30 Jun 2017 00:43

^^^^

That’s just a hit piece on Metros and pushing BRT systems in India which have demonstrably not worked. The only really criticism seems to be look at all the traffic disturbance during Lucknow construction. Ergo BRT is cheaper. The real world is not that simple. Even though people can’t see it right now, sheer population dynamic indicates that the Lucknow Kanpur belt will eventually agglomerate 50 million people. About 10 times the population right now. No BRT system will be adequate. Jaipur truly is an anomaly as was pointed out at the time. Jaipur is a relatively non-industrial city, with low density and low incomes and in a relatively low population density state.

BRT has it place, in cities states that have the cheap land to build extra wide roads and boulevards and the populations characteristics to pay for and use them. Most Indian Cities are too congested and poor for this.

My opinion is if you don’t need a metro you don’t need a BRT either. Plain old Pallavan Transport type system works just fine.

Rishirishi · Post by **Rishirishi** » 30 Jun 2017 02:37

Theo_Fidel wrote:^^^^

That’s just a hit piece on Metros and pushing BRT systems in India which have demonstrably not worked. The only really criticism seems to be look at all the traffic disturbance during Lucknow construction. Ergo BRT is cheaper. The real world is not that simple. Even though people can’t see it right now, sheer population dynamic indicates that the Lucknow Kanpur belt will eventually agglomerate 50 million people. About 10 times the population right now. No BRT system will be adequate. Jaipur truly is an anomaly as was pointed out at the time. Jaipur is a relatively non-industrial city, with low density and low incomes and in a relatively low population density state.

BRT has it place, in cities states that have the cheap land to build extra wide roads and boulevards and the populations characteristics to pay for and use them. Most Indian Cities are too congested and poor for this.

My opinion is if you don’t need a metro you don’t need a BRT either. Plain old Pallavan Transport type system works just fine.

In mumbai 90% of the people use public transport, and 10% their cars. Yet the 10% take up most of the space. Why not put a RS 30 000 per month charge on private transport. If most of the cars are gone, the buses can travel faster and get you faster to your destination then the cars are currently doing.

Imagine what you could do with the revenue from 250 000 cars. It would be arround 100 million dollars per month. With that Mumbai could probably finance 35 Km metro per year. If 1 million people paid which is not impossible. Mumbai could earn close to 50 billion dollars in a decade, sufficient to turn it into a new singapore.

Prasad · Post by **Prasad** » 30 Jun 2017 10:20

Inner city, business district entry toll will do a good job for that.

Karthik S · Post by **Karthik S** » 30 Jun 2017 10:28

Rishirishi wrote:
Theo_Fidel wrote:^^^^

That’s just a hit piece on Metros and pushing BRT systems in India which have demonstrably not worked. The only really criticism seems to be look at all the traffic disturbance during Lucknow construction. Ergo BRT is cheaper. The real world is not that simple. Even though people can’t see it right now, sheer population dynamic indicates that the Lucknow Kanpur belt will eventually agglomerate 50 million people. About 10 times the population right now. No BRT system will be adequate. Jaipur truly is an anomaly as was pointed out at the time. Jaipur is a relatively non-industrial city, with low density and low incomes and in a relatively low population density state.

BRT has it place, in cities states that have the cheap land to build extra wide roads and boulevards and the populations characteristics to pay for and use them. Most Indian Cities are too congested and poor for this.

My opinion is if you don’t need a metro you don’t need a BRT either. Plain old Pallavan Transport type system works just fine.
In mumbai 90% of the people use public transport, and 10% their cars. Yet the 10% take up most of the space. Why not put a RS 30 000 per month charge on private transport. If most of the cars are gone, the buses can travel faster and get you faster to your destination then the cars are currently doing.

Imagine what you could do with the revenue from 250 000 cars. It would be arround 100 million dollars per month. With that Mumbai could probably finance 35 Km metro per year. If 1 million people paid which is not impossible. Mumbai could earn close to 50 billion dollars in a decade, sufficient to turn it into a new singapore.

First govt has to build vast network of convenient mode of public transport, then it can think about having similar to congestion charges.

SBajwa · Post by **SBajwa** » 30 Jun 2017 20:09

by Rishirishi
In mumbai 90% of the people use public transport, and 10% their cars. Yet the 10% take up most of the space. Why not put a RS 30 000 per month charge on private transport. If most of the cars are gone, the buses can travel faster and get you faster to your destination then the cars are currently doing.

That's what they do in New York City. Each entry into Manhattan costs about $10.00 per car (and more for trucks)., all tunnels and bridges collect the toll! This is to discourage people from driving into Manhattan!

Atmavik · Post by **Atmavik** » 30 Jun 2017 20:42

Kashi wrote:Kochi Metro team has done a really splendid job. The fastest and longest first phase to be commissioned

Courtesy: Railnews.co.in

HYD kahaan pe to bhi hai Yaroon??

Theo_Fidel · Post by **Theo_Fidel** » 30 Jun 2017 20:42

Yup,

At some point India will have start pushing cars and most personal vehicles out of the denser cities. Which seems to be all of them these day. I was in Salem TN in January and the congestion there was startling. Madurai is getting worse every year. There was 1 hour traffic jam near the Roundtanna. The area around the Meenakshi temple has already been closed off for cars.

But as Karthik says you need a decent public transport system before you do these things. And for decent public transport people have to be ready to shell out more. Certainly more than the RS10 for 20 stages in Chennai MTC.

BTW what the hell happened to the Chennai Bus system. When I was a kid it was the best in the country. Everyone from boss to peon rode it. Now the number of buses has not gone beyond about 4000 in years and occupancy is over 80% all the time. There was a time most buses ran at 40% and everyone got a seat. For a City like Chennai there should be about 20,000 buses on the street based on simple math.

ArjunPandit · Post by **ArjunPandit** » 01 Jul 2017 05:08

This has been the same in all cities. Delhi too had a reasonable bus system till '90s. However, after Shila dixit came and focus shifted on metro, the number of buses did not increase in DTC(Delhi Transport Corporation)+Pvt, and could have gone down too. Now, due to
1. Increased distances (ppl going to gurgaon and noida)
2. improved prosperity (MNC jobs overall economy blah blah)
pretty much everyone in (erstwhile )middle class (of Delhi) has a car
Now delhi has all the pieces to have a robust MRT, through a combination of Metro+Bus coupled with last mile connectivity of manual or e-rikshaws. That is also supported by best infrastructure in the country.
But thanks to its status as a "special" state and mr kejriwall nothing has moved .

Now what is needed is
1. adequate #buses to key end points, e.g., Noida/gurgaon or adequate feeder buses to metro stations
2. heavy parking rates, tolls and higher pricing of petrol/diesel for personal consumption
to get Delhi off its driving culture.

Kashi · Post by **Kashi** » 01 Jul 2017 06:53

ArjunPandit wrote:This has been the same in all cities. Delhi too had a reasonable bus system till '90s. However, after Shila dixit came and focus shifted on metro, the number of buses did not increase in DTC(Delhi Transport Corporation)+Pvt, and could have gone down too.

Not really. Delhi Metro had been conceived way back and DMRC was set up in 1995 when PVNR was the PM and ML Khurana the CM of Delhi, Sreedharan was appointed as the head of DMRC. Incidentally, Khurana was in the favour of tram-based MRTS to begin with.

Construction started in October 1998. Sheela Dixit was happy to let the things rolling and lap up all the credit.

DTC was driven into ground with years of nepotism and when Jagadish Tytler introduced the killer Red Line private buses in 1993, it was the death knell of DTC. Not that DTC was very good to begin with, but Red Lines were worse. Only those who have had the misfortune of travelling by these buses in the Delhi of 1990s and early 2000s would know the terror, anger, disgust, helplessness and hopelessness these buses personified.

It was Supremem court that sounded the death knell for these buses by mandating CNG conversion and getting rid of old buses. Various lobbies tried hard to scuttle the move, talking about "poor"and Ultra Low Sulphur Diesel, LSD etc. Sheela Dixit actually went to SC asking them to overturn the order as Delhi descended into chaos and stone pelting.

ArjunPandit · Post by **ArjunPandit** » 01 Jul 2017 07:04

Now that you've elaborated that much,
1. Number of buses was actually not that bad until 2003-04, based on my own experience
2. My intention was just to highlight the time rather than giving credit of Delhi metro
Also, just wanted to check if you ever enjoyed student bus pass

Kashi · Post by **Kashi** » 01 Jul 2017 07:33

ArjunPandit wrote:Also, just wanted to check if you ever enjoyed student bus pass

That and "istaaph" as well

ArjunPandit · Post by **ArjunPandit** » 01 Jul 2017 07:46

Je bat... Those were days when inside du North campus I had to consider lucky if we got a place to hang on stairs behind the bus.. Hanging out had a different meaning

srin · Post by **srin** » 01 Jul 2017 08:29

Actually, I think we should seriously consider private buses. As a proper regulated alternative rather than the ad hoc arrangements that companies make to pick up employees.
I'm not from Delhi and there was a "killer bus" tag attached to Blue line buses there, so don't know what went on there and how that could have changed without throwing the baby out with the bathwater.

Rishirishi · Post by **Rishirishi** » 02 Jul 2017 03:37

First govt has to build vast network of convenient mode of public transport, then it can think about having similar to congestion charges.

If you charge RS 1000 per day for using the cars, most people will not use it. If the cars are gone, the speed of buses will be faster. Also the demand of quality buses will go up. It will be possible to solve the transportaion problem in places like Delhi and Mumbai.

Imagine of 2 million vehicles make space for parks, walking areas and playgrounds. Imagine what that will do to the city.

ArjunPandit · Post by **ArjunPandit** » 02 Jul 2017 05:17

Driverless metros for Magenta and Pink lines
1. Good that they are moving to driverless trains, I guess some of it was also manufactured in Gujarat too, but majority of it being imported.
2. This is going to get progressively difficult for guys, pink/magenta ..what's next baby pink, lilac or perhaps we would learn the difference between them

darshhan · Post by **darshhan** » 02 Jul 2017 09:15

Rishirishi wrote:
First govt has to build vast network of convenient mode of public transport, then it can think about having similar to congestion charges.
If you charge RS 1000 per day for using the cars, most people will not use it. If the cars are gone, the speed of buses will be faster. Also the demand of quality buses will go up. It will be possible to solve the transportaion problem in places like Delhi and Mumbai.

Imagine of 2 million vehicles make space for parks, walking areas and playgrounds. Imagine what that will do to the city.

Rishirishi, This is typical unidirectional thinking. 'Cause you are not thinking from automotive industry's perspective and how this decision will impact this industry. How many people are employed by this industry and who will feed their families.? Since this kind of decision will all but gut this industry.

And how will you justify govt taking contradictory decisions. On one hand they pledge to grow the automotive industry and on the other they are taking decisions to extinguish the industry.

Remember you are proposing that people pay Rs 360000 per year for using cars or 720000 for 2 years. Good luck finding a customer who will still want to buy one.

Rishirishi · Post by **Rishirishi** » 03 Jul 2017 04:02

darshhan wrote:
Rishirishi wrote:
If you charge RS 1000 per day for using the cars, most people will not use it. If the cars are gone, the speed of buses will be faster. Also the demand of quality buses will go up. It will be possible to solve the transportaion problem in places like Delhi and Mumbai.

Imagine of 2 million vehicles make space for parks, walking areas and playgrounds. Imagine what that will do to the city.
Rishirishi, This is typical unidirectional thinking. 'Cause you are not thinking from automotive industry's perspective and how this decision will impact this industry. How many people are employed by this industry and who will feed their families.? Since this kind of decision will all but gut this industry.

And how will you justify govt taking contradictory decisions. On one hand they pledge to grow the automotive industry and on the other they are taking decisions to extinguish the industry.

Remember you are proposing that people pay Rs 360000 per year for using cars or 720000 for 2 years. Good luck finding a customer who will still want to buy one.

There is nothing unidirectional here. The economy will not suffer, as people will use their money on other stuff then Cars. Hence the demand for other things will grow. But yes, the automative industry will be reduced. So will the oil import bill, which will be welcome for the excecure.

Stopping new solutions which can improve life quality, just for the sake of keeping the automative industry alive is frankly not very smart.

JayS · Post by **JayS** » 03 Jul 2017 12:08

darshhan wrote:
Rishirishi wrote:
If you charge RS 1000 per day for using the cars, most people will not use it. If the cars are gone, the speed of buses will be faster. Also the demand of quality buses will go up. It will be possible to solve the transportaion problem in places like Delhi and Mumbai.

Imagine of 2 million vehicles make space for parks, walking areas and playgrounds. Imagine what that will do to the city.
Rishirishi, This is typical unidirectional thinking. 'Cause you are not thinking from automotive industry's perspective and how this decision will impact this industry. How many people are employed by this industry and who will feed their families.? Since this kind of decision will all but gut this industry.

And how will you justify govt taking contradictory decisions. On one hand they pledge to grow the automotive industry and on the other they are taking decisions to extinguish the industry.

Remember you are proposing that people pay Rs 360000 per year for using cars or 720000 for 2 years. Good luck finding a customer who will still want to buy one.

I have heard this argument before many times. Its not like Cars are going to go out of fashion. We need to discourage use of cars only in cities for daily commute to avoid congestion and wasting money to provide for infrastructure for cars which caters only for a few. And a part of Automotive industries will simply move to manufacturing buses and other public transport means. Industries come and go as technology or trends change. Those who change will flourish, those who can't will perish. Should we have stopped GST because it made a large number of toll naka employees jobless now..??

Or should we stop Aviation to take off in India which might make some IR employees or State bus corporation employees jobless..??

JohnTitor · Post by **JohnTitor** » 03 Jul 2017 12:17

Even a nominal rate of 100/day will dissuade a few people. this can be progressively increased. As long as people see that the money raised is used for public good, there will be some acceptance.

But problem ATM in Delhi is that kujliwala is busy looting the place, so it is a bad idea right now

rahulm · Post by **rahulm** » 29 Jul 2017 13:36

Delhi Metro smart cards could soon be used for DTC buses

Finally, one of my pet peeves will be addressed. How come Delhi always leads the way ?

Now, how about a national stole tag that works at all toll nakas. Wouldn't that be something ?

Rishirishi · Post by **Rishirishi** » 01 Aug 2017 02:35

JohnTitor wrote:Even a nominal rate of 100/day will dissuade a few people. this can be progressively increased. As long as people see that the money raised is used for public good, there will be some acceptance.

In Mumbai some 85% of the public is using public transport and the 15% of car owners are eating up all the space. Space that should be used by buses, kids play area, streets, parks crating noise and smoke pollution.

This is simply unfair. The people using the cars should be made to pay the real price. The price should be set to RS 30K per month. Imagine how good it would be to know that the ambulance, police or fire brigade could reach in time. The kids would get the streets back to play and everyone would breeth fresh air.

In a place like mumbai there will be plenty of people signing up for this. My guess is close to 200-300 000 cars. Imagine what could be done with that kind of cashflow.

As for the public, they will be very happy. 85% of the public traveling on public transport would be happy, kids would be happy and a whole lot of car owners would be happy to pay the RS 30K and get arrounds the city within no time.

Kashi · Post by **Kashi** » 01 Aug 2017 05:08

Actually in many countries, if you buy a car you must certify that you have a place to park the car- either self-owned or rented. The monthly rentals for an exclusive parking spot can be quite steep. Plus, there's road tax, road fitness tax etc.

We could start by introducing them in the Indian cities, starting with Delhi and it's ubiquitous DDA kalonies where many a household now has an average of 2-3 cars and they park them all over the place making it difficult to navigate the already narrow lanes...

durvasa · Post by **durvasa** » 01 Aug 2017 09:24

rahulm wrote:Delhi Metro smart cards could soon be used for DTC buses

Finally, one of my pet peeves will be addressed. How come Delhi always leads the way ?

Now, how about a national stole tag that works at all toll nakas. Wouldn't that be something ?

Most NHAI toll nakas already accept FASTTAG and works fabulously (tried on BGL-CHE route). I called the hotline and someone from ICICI came to my house to give me RFID sticker for the car (need RC & address proof). Also available with SBI/HDFC/Axis bank. Money can be transferred online and every deduction on Naka alerted with SMS.

No queues unless some idiot has blocked the fasttag lane. https://www.icicibank.com/Personal-Bank ... index.page

Theo_Fidel · Post by **Theo_Fidel** » 01 Aug 2017 22:31

Kashi wrote:Actually in many countries, if you buy a car you must certify that you have a place to park the car- either self-owned or rented. The monthly rentals for an exclusive parking spot can be quite steep. Plus, there's road tax, road fitness tax etc.

We could start by introducing them in the Indian cities, starting with Delhi and it's ubiquitous DDA kalonies where many a household now has an average of 2-3 cars and they park them all over the place making it difficult to navigate the already narrow lanes...

I have to agree. This is the only feasible long term solution. Even the park on alternate sides of street solution is a stop gap. Pay for your parking spot or lose your car...

In Chennai I once did the math that the land under the parked car is worth 20 times the value of the car! Mumbai is probably worse. In my area people are afraid to move the car as they would lose their spot, so you have tarp covered vehicles sitting out there for 6 months+ ! This is stealing on a grand scale, pure and simple. People need to be made aware of this and penalized.

The end game of course has to be a complete bans in some areas, once the metros are up and running. Delhi metro is big enough that Delhi should look at bans in the most congested areas. Chennai metro is too undeveloped yet....

Kashi · Post by **Kashi** » 02 Aug 2017 05:36

Theo_Fidel wrote:The end game of course has to be a complete bans in some areas, once the metros are up and running. Delhi metro is big enough that Delhi should look at bans in the most congested areas. Chennai metro is too undeveloped yet....

I believe such bans are already enforced in some places. Some areas are simply too congested for cars to get in, so there's "self-segregation" of sorts. Also needed are high parking fees in high density areas. For instance, in Connaught Place in Delhi make it Rs. 100-150 for every 30-60 minutes or so. I believe many people will think twice before driving in there.

The problem with Metros is door to door connectivity. In parts of Delhi, people need to walk/drive a fair bit to get to the nearest Metro station. The network is still expanding and the feeders are still patchy, though the situation is far better than the days of DTC, Kilometre scheme and the killer Red Line that eventually became the killer Blue Line "Suvidha" bus service. Moreover, owning a car is a prestige issue in a city like Delhi and with increasing incomes, it's far more affordable for a family of four to have 2-3 cars.

There is also a zoning issue. Unplanned development of neighbourhoods means that erstwhile residential zones have plenty of commercial establishments, shops etc. This too contributes to an influx of the cars and road-side congestion.

asgkhan · Post by **asgkhan** » 03 Aug 2017 12:33

Until safe, predictable last mile connectivity of reasonable cost is introduced, beebuls in bangalores will prefer to use their bikes & cars. No amount of metro development/ bus facility etc cuts it.

vina · Post by **vina** » 03 Aug 2017 13:04

Kashi wrote: The problem with Metros is door to door connectivity. In parts of Delhi, people need to walk/drive a fair bit to get to the nearest Metro station..

Nowhere in the world is metro /public transport "door" to "door" . The best I have had was when I was living in Manhattan in the upper west side and it was take the elevator down and walk 3 blocks to the 1/9 line. Other than Manhattan , you probably are not going to have that kind of density of public transport.

However, do note, I take the metro to work here in Bangalore since the Green line opened. I walk 900m from home to the metro station, and from the stop I get off, I walk 1.5 km to get to my office. Both are very pleasant walks along nice sidewalks shaded by the huge canopy of roadside trees typical of Bangalore . I therefore walk 5 kms minimum per day. End to end it takes max 45 minutes for me to get to work and back home. What it does for me is.

1. In the same time (45 mins) I would spend on the road , either driving or taking a cab, I get my 10,000 steps per day done, and don't have to set aside time for that.
2. It becomes deterministic. Come rain or shine, or jams or whatever, it is 45 mins end to end.
3. I have forgotten how traffic jams look and feel like. I get a shock in the one off days when i drive to work (even that I avoid)
4. Far safer. I have no more desire to play chicken with the other louts on the road in Bangalore traffic and nor do I wish to risk life or limb. Feel far far safer on the metro and walking on the sidewalks.

What I WOULD recommend people to do is to WALK (it is great , believe me), and if not get a bicycle and park near the metro. Worst case, if you MUST, get a two wheeler (motorbike/scooter) and park and take the train. Nothing like it. Trouble is don't look to park NEXT to the metro and take the train. Be prepared to park 50 /100m away and walk. You will find ample parking.

Prasad · Post by **Prasad** » 03 Aug 2017 14:57

What all the walking ignores is the pathetic state of walking infra in cities across teh country. Sure walk 1.5k. In mandaveli chennai, to walk from the bus stand to the mrts, its a 700m walk. No footpaths and traffic all day long. Mylapore mrts station to Kapaleeshwarar temple its a .5km walk. No footpaths, cars parked everywhere, one major thoroughfare. How is anyone to walk safely? How do you send kids to walk safely all by themselves? Or the old and infirm. That needs to come up otherwise metro will remain only half the job done.

arshyam · Post by **arshyam** » 04 Aug 2017 22:04

vina wrote:What I WOULD recommend people to do is to WALK (it is great , believe me), and if not get a bicycle and park near the metro. Worst case, if you MUST, get a two wheeler (motorbike/scooter) and park and take the train. Nothing like it. Trouble is don't look to park NEXT to the metro and take the train. Be prepared to park 50 /100m away and walk. You will find ample parking.

Fully seconded. I do the same one-way, in the evenings. Even ran into Prakash Belawadi once! My route is typically 2 km through Cubbon park to the Vidhana soudha station, and another km in a certain tree-lined neighbourhood to get home

. It looks like more people have figured out the metro's advantages, now the green line is almost as crowded as the purple.

As for personal transport, most of these stations have paid two-wheeler parking, but they are not used. Yet. I guess the habit of parking at the station and taking the train to work is still in the nascent stage. Unlike in Mumbai/Chennai. My relative in Chennai has been taking his two wheeler to the station and taking the train to work for almost 20 years now!

Prasad wrote:What all the walking ignores is the pathetic state of walking infra in cities across teh country. Sure walk 1.5k. In mandaveli chennai, to walk from the bus stand to the mrts, its a 700m walk. No footpaths and traffic all day long. Mylapore mrts station to Kapaleeshwarar temple its a .5km walk. No footpaths, cars parked everywhere, one major thoroughfare. How is anyone to walk safely? How do you send kids to walk safely all by themselves? Or the old and infirm. That needs to come up otherwise metro will remain only half the job done.

I think you'll agree saar, this is where BLR really shines. Even without tendersure, all roads will have a somewhat decent platform to walk on. It's one thing I've come to appreciate in the much maligned BBMP - they build a platform in all the roads, be it Whitefield or Lalbagh road. Tendersure has only made it easier to walk, leading to scenarios like vina saar posted above. In Chennai, otoh, platforms are a joke. If they exist. Beyond that, the less said the better. Oh, the roads are very good, far smoother than BLR's. But what Chennai has done for its motor traffic, it hasn't even thought about doing for its foot traffic.

Imagine a city with Chennai's roads and transport network, and BLR's trees and platforms. One can dream, right?

Bart S · Post by **Bart S** » 04 Aug 2017 22:16

^The issue in Chennai vs Blr isn't so much the lack of pedestrian pathyways, but the weather. Try walking 2 km in the sun to a metro station in Chennai, you will be drenched in sweat and ready to call an Ola cab once you reach the station, to take you back home

Bike parking at the metro stations is an acceptable compromise, has been done for ages at all the Chennai suburban railway stations.

arshyam · Post by **arshyam** » 04 Aug 2017 22:22

^^ Agreed, but that's no excuse for poor footpath infrastructure.

srin · Post by **srin** » 05 Aug 2017 08:21

vina wrote:
However, do note, I take the metro to work here in Bangalore since the Green line opened. I walk 900m from home to the metro station, and from the stop I get off, I walk 1.5 km to get to my office. Both are very pleasant walks along nice sidewalks shaded by the huge canopy of roadside trees typical of Bangalore . I therefore walk 5 kms minimum per day. End to end it takes max 45 minutes for me to get to work and back home. What it does for me is.

arshyam wrote:I think you'll agree saar, this is where BLR really shines. Even without tendersure, all roads will have a somewhat decent platform to walk on. It's one thing I've come to appreciate in the much maligned BBMP - they build a platform in all the roads, be it Whitefield or Lalbagh road. Tendersure has only made it easier to walk, leading to scenarios like vina saar posted above. In Chennai, otoh, platforms are a joke. If they exist. Beyond that, the less said the better. Oh, the roads are very good, far smoother than BLR's. But what Chennai has done for its motor traffic, it hasn't even thought about doing for its foot traffic.

Imagine a city with Chennai's roads and transport network, and BLR's trees and platforms. One can dream, right?

Are we talking about the same city ? I live 300m from one of the non-jayanagar stations on green line and there is neither a proper footpath nor are there roadside trees.
The last time I checked, the footpath from Lalbagh metro station to Lalbagh west gate was in deplorable (ie, better to walk on main road) stage.

Other than Jayanagar (and malleswaram), I haven't found any area with decent footpath and "canopy of roadside trees" near the metro line.

shiv · Post by **shiv** » 05 Aug 2017 08:46

arshyam wrote:I think you'll agree saar, this is where BLR really shines. Even without tendersure, all roads will have a somewhat decent platform to walk on. It's one thing I've come to appreciate in the much maligned BBMP - they build a platform in all the roads, be it Whitefield or Lalbagh road. Tendersure has only made it easier to walk, leading to scenarios like vina saar posted above. In Chennai, otoh, platforms are a joke. If they exist. Beyond that, the less said the better. Oh, the roads are very good, far smoother than BLR's. But what Chennai has done for its motor traffic, it hasn't even thought about doing for its foot traffic.

Shyam this is somewhat dramatic - but I had to take a day off yesterday as I had a fall when my foot went into a small ditch while walking from Mantri Mall Metro station towards High Grounds. I have a black eye now.

For the last 1 year I have used public transport.

I used to take a bus to Majestic and then walk 1.5 km to work. From Majestic the main walking hurdles are piss and shit and garbage on the pavements - but most places have pavements. Also crossing the road near Congress Party office is life threatening

I live 200 meters from a South Bangalore Metro station which started functioning just over a month ago. The 1.4 km walk is bad. I have sent scores of complaints using the apps "I change my city" and the Police depts "Public Eye'. they do work but BBMP does not give a rats ass for pedestrians. However I see a role as a citizen to try and make things better.

Once I walked from race course to corporation. The area has fantastic footpaths, but it is a killer to tray and cross the road. There is no way of crossing Seshadri road without risking your life and depending on some yahoo who has paid the RTO for his driver's licence to see you and wait for you to pass