Bharat Rakshak

Bangalore: Vehicular movement in the central business district (CBD) is set to be a crawl in 2020: 5 km per hour to be precise, if authorities fail to address growing traffic congestion in the city. The doomsday scenario is painted by a study conducted by the Consortium of Traffic Engineers and Safety Trainers (CTEST). The study sought to find the average traffic speed on select roads in CBD area. It found that vehicular speed had reduced to one fourth of what it was almost a decade ago: from 35 kmph in 2005 it is down to 9kmph now. Traffic movement is now reduced to a snail's pace only on gridlocked stretches or during peak hours or when streets become waterlogged. A top speed of 9kmph, the speed of a bicycle, means vehicles are burning more fuel and people are shelling out more at gas stations. (err...don't we say petrol bunk in BLR at least among the non-Americanised janta? )

The study shows the average traffic speed on these two roads where two prominent schools are located has reduced to 4.2 kmph between 3pm and 6pm due to unregulated two-side parking of school vans and private vehicles which come to pick up and drop children, besides the ongoing work under 'Tendersure' project. Seshadri Road leading to KR Circle, recorded the next lowest speed of less than 7kmph. The average traffic speed on MG Road is down to 7.8 kmph from 20 kmph in 2010 during peak hours after Metro stations came up. Brigade Road is comparatively better at 10.2 kmph. The study says a major reason for traffic congestion on MG Road and Brigade Road is unregulated roadside parking while frequent movement of BMTC buses hampers traffic on Seshadri Road. "Bus bays on Seshadri Road are frequented by BMTC buses every 3 seconds and there is chaos due to their haphazard parking

IT'S A DRAG
Avg traffic speed of vehicles during peak hours:
* 5 km radius around Vidhan Soudha: 9 kmph Seshadri Road up to K R Circle --- 7 kmph M G Road - 7.8 km Brigade Road --- 10.2 kmph Infantry Road --- 11.9 kmph Museum Road/St Mark's Road: 4.2 km (3 pm to 6 pm) Ambedkar Veedhi: 12.9 kmph

PROBLEM OF PLENTY Bangalore has 54 lakh vehicles of which 18.5% are cars 72% are two-wheelers Every 2nd person has a motorized vehicle in Bangalore About 2,000 vehicles are added to city everyday About 10 lakh vehicles criss-cross CBD areas daily

SSridhar wrote:
A scene in Madurai - Courtesy: The Hindu

SSridhar wrote:
A scene in Madurai - Courtesy: The Hindu

LokeshC wrote:I can imagine the owner/manager of the "lorry" going (I dont know Tamil so using Angrezi):

"How can I get the maximum bang for the buck with this contract?
Stuff the laarry with as much hay as I can.
Now which bakra can I find to drive this thing? Who would it be, who?
Ohh there goes our junior most driver Chinna.
Son, come here.... I have an exciting assignment for you ....
you see that laaarry?"

SaraLax wrote:With what appears to be something starting of with KL letters in the registration number of the lorry - This is a vehicle from neighbouring Kerala. Is it not ?.

Gus wrote:BLR people better learn how to carpool and vanpool.

SaiK wrote:http://www.scientificamerican.com/artic ... -traction/
Bridgestone Americas has opened up an experimental factory in Arizona to extract natural rubber from locally grown guayule.





Bharat can learn.. rubberizing asphalt roads are the way to move forward..

Congress-led UDF government in Kerala today decided to assure the Centre that it would acquire and handover necessary land to NHAI for developing National Highway stretches at a width of 45 metres.

A decision to this effect was taken against the background of the Centre denying aid to the state for its proposal to develop NH stretches at a width of 30 metres, Chief Minister Oommen Chandy told reporters after a cabinet meeting.

Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari had said in July Centre will not extend any assistance under national highways programme if the Kerala government decides to develop NH stretches in the state at 30-metre width instead of 45 metres.

Considering the state request for relaxation in conditions in view of scarcity of land, the Centre had reduced the road width to 45 metres from 60 metres followed in other parts of the country. The state had again approached the Centre to reduce the width from 45 to 30 metres.

"Cabinet has decided to acquire land for developing NH 17 and NH 47 with 45 metres width," Chandy said, adding, district collectors concerned would be instructed to acquire land as soon as possible.

SaiK wrote:good decision. good for kerala.

Bade wrote:And where are they going to get 45 metres other than in some rural areas...aka Palakkad. It will never get done except in stretches. There is no deep pockets with GoK to pay market rate value next to the NH-47 or NH-17.

Best would be to dust up the old Kerala Expressway plan and implement it as a greenfield project 25-50 miles east of the population centers rather than along the low lying coastal areas.

Bade wrote:My understanding is that land acquisition costs are always borne out by the state and not the centre.

KLP Dubey wrote:

Bade wrote:My understanding is that land acquisition costs are always borne out by the state and not the centre.

To my knowledge national highway development is financed by NHAI which is India Goremint agency, not state. The state governments may be responsible for the mechanics of acquiring the land, paying the contractors, etc.

Bade wrote:In principle yes, but reality seems far from it. The prices that NHAI offers are per strictures written in circa '66 or so. So the state will have to come up with the difference, which are multiples of what NHAI allows for, to even enable acquiring land from private owners. The state of course cannot pay market rate either I believe, but what are published circle rates is offered, which is invariably lower than the market rates and leads to litigation. This LA is a circus with no end.