HOT TOPICS

SPOTLIGHT AGENCIES

LAMP for a suburban area - starter list

190

silkboard - 6 February, 2012 | Bangalore | Whitefield | Mahadevapura | mobility | Transportation

LAMP concept may be essential very soon in all suburban areas to deal with traffic growth & work over disappointing efforts on multi-modal integration so far. Here is a starter list compiled by Naveen based on our discussions, Sanjeev's notes in multi-modal integration, and mantri mall study done by researchers at CiSTUP.

 

  1. Bus routing /stops for various destinations (incldg feeders for nearest Metro stn & TTMC)
  2. Bicycle infrastructure
  3. Multi-modal interchange convenience & issues
  4. Auto /taxi points
  5. Commuter rail (if applicable to the area)
  6. Pedestrian /walking infrastructure
  7. Mobility to malls & shopping areas/streets within the areas
  8. Parking availability /restrictions & compulsory charging for same (by RWAs /local associations under lic from BBMP since tendering /contracts etc may  not work)
  9. Street parking - inconveniences & solutions by local enforcements (RWAs ?)
  10. Existing road design & needs
  11. Pedestrian road /street crossings & in/conveniences - As stated in the Mantri mall report, "pedestrians (rightfully) need to be provided the shortest, direct routes"

We can pick a few of these first for some detailing. Can then push for implementation of some reasonably detailed items.

Look forward to comments on this starter post. Please try not be purely theoritical or academic. If you know the Whitefield/Mahadevapura area, discuss with local context.

COMMENTS

Since CDP is about zoning &

idontspam - 7 February, 2012 - 08:09

Since CDP is about zoning & speaks nothing about mobility concerns

The place to look for on transportation is CTTP which was expected to come out with the transportation strategy.

@Anithasunil

Naveen - 9 February, 2012 - 03:17

This area, has quite a few wide road, which according to me should be put to better use to limit the traffic blocks in this area. Right now, most buses use the kundenhalli-graphite India-Vydehi-ITPL route! 

Could you specify which these wide roads are ? Apart from Whitefield main rd (KRPuram - towards Hope Farm) & the continuation of the road from Kundalahalli connecting Whitefield Main rd (past Graphite India), there is just one other road that forks towards the same Whitefield main road & joins it further at Hoodi Jn.

Other than these, all others are sort of by-lanes that do not have sufficient widths for separate bicycle lanes or bus routing (regular sized buses), isn't it ?

This was one approach we discussed earlier..

Vasanth - 7 February, 2012 - 01:02

Connecting TTMCs in a variety of ways was one discussion we had in this context..

http://praja.in/en/blog/vasanth/2009/09/03/connecting-ttmcs-possible-approach

 

 

What is the Whitefield/ Mahadevapura area?

sanjayv - 7 February, 2012 - 03:11

The list above seems quite comprehensive Pranav.  I think the first step is to define what the Whitefield / Mahadevapura area is.  Since the origin of this is from a meeting with RK Mishra (Limbavali is involved?), is he interested in the Mahadevapura constituency?

A logical grouping would be the area bounded by ORR, Varthur Road (extending till the lake shore), Railway track and Whitefield Main Road.

The other thing I would definitely vote for is to reconcile whatever we recommend with the CDP 2015.  Well, maybe reconcile is not the right word, but looking at the CDP for the plan for the area and comparing with our recommendations is definitely worth a shot.

While there are many people on the list who feel that the CDP is a waste of paper (and they may be right), this exercise will give us a nice map, some insight on the intended zoning and maybe be an excercise in showing what is good and bad in the CDP for the area.  Useful since it looks like the next excercise (CDP 2015-25/35) is beginning.

Project focus on Mobility

Naveen - 7 February, 2012 - 04:07

Sanjay,

Since CDP is about zoning & speaks nothing about mobility concerns, this project is an attempt to address these CDP shortcomings, & is specifically about mobility within a suburb or local /ward area. Whitefield was a natural first choice since it has already developed sufficiently & is remote from city centre. It also has potential for further growth - thus, it seemed the best candidate ward /area that could be used as a test case for a 'Local area mobility plan', or LAMP.

The area outlined by you for Whitefield /Mahadevapura with reference to a plan for local mobility looks fine, though it encompasses or overlaps with BBMP defined ward areas 74 (Mahadevapura), 75 (Doddanekundi) & 76 (Whitefield).

We would have to work with maps to identify existing locations for the above & recommend improvements /modifications based on existing infrastructure.

I have worked in ITPL for

Anithasunil - 7 February, 2012 - 07:28

I have worked in ITPL for sometime, and now work near Mahadevpura.. I would like to participate in this effort.. But, right now, I am not sure abt how to participate :)

With the TTMC that has come up in Whitefield, I guess it is now easy to operate buses out of the TTMC, and to have local shuttles/ bicycle infrastructure to nearby areas from there.. BMTC has started operating a few routes such as 319CT, 335ET, etc starting from the TTMC, and making small loops in the ITPL area. Guess these would solve some of the problems with connectivity to different locations. But, I would still prefer regular shuttles to different areas, and connevtivity through bicycles. 

This area, has quite a few wide road, which according to me should be put to better use to limit the traffic blocks in this area. Right now, most buses use the kundenhalli-graphite India-Vydehi-ITPL route!

If you are planning to split the above 10 points, into subgroups, and work on individual items, I am keen to take part in atleast some of them. 

 

@Anithasunil

Naveen - 7 February, 2012 - 08:02

Aithasunil,

Thanks for the enthusiasm.  We  We 

I had read about your experiences with autos & bus travel. So, we have another volunteer that can throw more light about shortcomings in this area & suggest possible solutions. Welcome!

CDP vs CTTP

sanjayv - 7 February, 2012 - 10:30

I understand the difference between CDP and CTTP, however, one striking thing that I have seen in Whitefield, especially if you drive along some inner roads is that one can go from a modern looking gleaming facade to an isolated .. "is this still Bangalore" region in no time.  You will see commuters using narrow undulating hell hole type roads to avoid the main road.  You will see development booming along these tiny roads which are sure to doom these to more problems in the future because these folks will have no access to the public transportation network that exists in the trunk roads of whitefield.

So if a REAL mobility plan is to be put together, one HAS to look at the CDP.  I looked at the CDP map for areas around my residence and was surprised at the plan.  There were couple of nice elements in there and others that made no sense.

Therefore, I still feel the CDP map for the area will be a useful thing to look at.  Even if it probably only gives us one good idea.

Not so walker friendly environment in Mahadevapura & Nekkundi

Vasanth - 7 February, 2012 - 23:43

Mahadevapura and Doddanekundi area is very dusty and dirty and no footpaths to walk. Trees are dry and leaves would be fully dusty. Temperature here is high compared to say Jayanagar / Koramangala. This forces people to go by vehicles, usually cars. 

Within whitefield area I haven't travelled much. My office is in Doddanekundi and this is my experience. One thing is to have good pavements and plant good number of trees to provide shelter to walkers. Most of the eastern portion of Bangalore lacks the Trees that a normal old Bangalore localities like Basavanagudi / Jayanagar.

 

 

thanks for comments! the list to detail?

silkboard - 8 February, 2012 - 04:19

Sanjay, defining the area is a good first step, perhaps the first chapter in the 'report' :) And like Naveen said, its about local area mobility. Choking in suburban areas is a result of poor attention given to suburban mobility needs. As part of the work, we may have to map and draw impacted zones. But let us limit the work to living with the way the area is shaped right now. If we arrive on solid zoning recommendations too, that's probably our last chapter or annexure in the 'report'.

So Anitha, Vasanth, IDS - how do we begin? Before meeting, I think we can evolve a few things on the site itself? Do through a wiki? this post only? Or separate posts for each topic in the list above? Doing them all will be a bit much, we can detail these first

  • Multi-modal and inter-modal interchange convenience - a) designated "entry" points to the Local Area, from CBD side (west), and the peripheral side (on east, and north) b) fast connects to Metro stations
  • Mobility to malls & shopping areas/streets within the areas - talk local shuttles, and cycling tracks
  • Parking availability /restrictions, street parking - as this is a major reason for slowdown in Whitefield area
  • Pedestrian road /street crossings - at major intersections, and near key mobility hubs, and commercial/office destinations
  • Faster connect to CBD - a) BPS or similar concepts, applied from Whitefield side b) commuter rail, build the best case we can in Whitefield LAMP

Sanjay and myself live in the area, so can do the recce etc whenever needed. I have already done a few rounds.

Yes.. Those were exactly the

Anithasunil - 9 February, 2012 - 05:05

Yes.. Those were exactly the roads I meant. And the comment was specific to the routing of volvo buses, when I said that those roads are under utilised.. 

I find that BMTC is focussing on the Kundenahalli route for the volvos. At any point, you see some 5-10 volvo buses waiting at the graphite India signal, coming from Kundenhalli side. 

On the other hand, People coming from IndiraNagar/Old madras road side, do not have much of volvo options (except maybe, the 319CT that was introduced lately.)

Focussing on public transport on the routes - kundenhalli - hopefarm-ITPL, and KRpuram-Hoodi-ITPL/Whitefield TTMC  will give public transport options to more people, and at the same time, take some pressure off the Graphite India Signal. At present, I believe Graphite India Signal in one of the biggest bottlenecks in the area, despite the different traffic control mechanisms tried here.

As I had mentioned in   an earlier post, http://praja.in/en/blog/anithasunil/2010/10/08/limited-stop-volvos-itpl, one of the problems in using these other routes, is that most IT companies, and hence users who seem to be using volvos the most are distributed from Graphite India-Vydehi-Saibaba hospital-ITPL route. 

So, the buses from Old madras road, and kundenhalli-hopefarm side seems to miss the crowd. This can be solved either by arranging local shuttles within the ITPL Area. 

First issue - Bus Routing

Naveen - 9 February, 2012 - 07:24

Okay, let's get this straight --

What you are saying is that 335 & it's variants (that come from old airport rd) always take the Kundalahalli-graphite India-Vydehi-ITPL-Hopefarm-Kadugodi route, whereas 319 & it's variants (which come from OMR-KRPuram side) always use only Whitefield main rd route, except for 319CT (ie. KRPuram-Garudacharpalya-Hoodi-ITPL-HopeFarm-Kadugodi).

The best solution would be to re-route some of the 319 variants past Vydehi & some of the 335 variants past Hoodi, isn't it ?

Additional shuttles may not always work - people loathe change overs & perhaps this is the main reason why they fail to attract commuters.

In the long-term, Metro is being extended from Byp on Whitefield main rd past Vydehi upto Kadugodi.

The point is that most of th

Anithasunil - 9 February, 2012 - 09:18

The point is that most of th volvos to ITPL is along Kundalahalli-graphite India-Vydehi-ITPL-Hopefarm-Kadugodi route. Others I mentioned are at a freqency of once in 30 min - 1hr. 

 

K R Puram Bridge - A Major hinderance at the entrance

Vasanth - 10 February, 2012 - 02:05

K R Puram Hanging bridge is a major roadblock for entrance to whitefield. Metro connectivity as of now hindered by this road block. From MG Road to BYPL we can reach in 15 minutes and from BYPL to whitefield / Mahadevapura it takes more than a hour.

An alternate route to BYPL Metro  to serve until it is extended to whitefield in Phase 2.

A Rail Bus / DEMU / EMU  running between Whitefield Station to Byappanahalli Station for Metro Connectivity until Phase 2 Metro Extends or Commuter Rail Materializes?

A variant of 335E Volvo starting from BYPL Metro Station connecting ITPL via alternate route. Right now BMTC has that mind block of not to run feeder services to Metro by Volvo. This is an important route which could be covered by semi metro and semi Volvo in airconditioned comfort in both the places and can attract crowd. Probably a BPS from Byappanahalli Metro to ITPL? Particularly at Hanging Bridge?

Bangalore Traffic Police had posted earlier this on facebook:

 

 

Hope something materializes quickly on this front.

designated entry points

silkboard - 11 February, 2012 - 05:14

So looks like the first thing to figure is "entry points" to the suburban area. From the map of the "area", following are the points

  1. K R Puram side entry (319 routes) from city
  2. Marathahalli bridge (G1/333/335 routes) entry from south city side
  3. Varthur Kodi - Entry points from varthur/sarjaur on the south/east side
  4. Hope Farm junction
  5. Whitefield Railway station - entry from Hoskote/Malur side
  6. Hoodi railway gate (where there is an overbridge under construction?) - entry from Old Madra Road suburbs

#1, and #2 are candidates for large bus-bus change hubs. #3 and #4 can do with a shuttles to city-route change hub. #5 needs some work to enable connectivity from north of Whitefield station (ex: many people want BMTC buses to start from 2 km up north), and also connect with station to be ready for Commuter Rail (it has to happen some day).

#6, I haven't soent enough time in the area to understand commuter or traffic patterns.

As an example, take Marathahalli bridge area as entry point. Two things there would help.

1) Clear designs for footpaths, bus stand locations, and markings to connect 6 bus stands with each other around the Outer Ring Road junction. If we take a concrete plan to BDA, we can make them do it.

2) Spice Garden bus stops can be made the change hub instead of Kundalahalli junction because there is more space available there. People usually change from 335 route buses to G1/Varthur side buses, can be done near Spice Garden itself.

Woudl be worth to detail each "entry point".

a meeting? Need more Whitefielf area guys

silkboard - 11 February, 2012 - 05:17

Let us meet at one of the entry points, or any other area of interest (TTMC?) once. Will wait for more Whitefield area website readers to join in. Right now, its only about 3-4 of us into this. Need 3-4 more.

Anithasunil - will do it just the way you said. Divide work into 3-4 groups. Break out, and merge.

Alternate route to reach ITPL area

suchblr - 20 February, 2012 - 21:08

Why we are not promoting KRPuram hanging bridge and then devsandra main road connecting Hoodi to reach the ITPL area. I think, this route beats the bottleneck at KR Puram hanging bridge traffic . I think there was some plans to widen the Devsandra road to 80ft(not sure what is the staus).If it is widened, then I see this route has a very good potential to decongest traffic on Whitefiled road specially from ORR till Hoodi.

 

 

 

Bottleneck in the Whitefield area and their solutions

purohit_arvind - 30 November, 2012 - 10:15

Hi, 

I wish we could have a local MLA with the vision of have signal free, bicycle friendly whitefield. And I wish he could really execute this. BTW as a first step here are the bottlenecks for the traffic around whitefield around Whitefield area and their solution.

1. Kundalahalli Gate: "Silk board of whitefield". The traffic here comes to halt during office hours and it impacts traffic coming from all the sides! 

Solution:

(A) An underpass connecting varthur road to marthahalli junction.

(B) Overbridge from AECS layout side road to marthahalli.

(C) Demolish the shops on the corner (marthahalli -> AECS layout) and make that turn entirely signal free.

Cost: 1 over bridge, 1 underpass and buyout of around 2 acre land.

2. BEML Layout entry. 

Solution:

Buy the land beside HDFC bank which could be another entrance to BEML layout and make a deicated bus bay there.

Cost: Buying of around 2 acre land

3. Graphite India: Second silkboard of marthahalli!

Solution: 

(A) Overbridge connecting whitefield road to SAP labs office. 

(B) Buy around two acre land opposite SAP labs to make left turn always on!

Cost: One over bridge and 2 acre lands

4. BigBazar junction

Silkboard in making. 

Solutoin: Again an underpass and free left 

Cost: 1 underpass and half an acre land.

5. Shantiniketam

Solution: Two crisscross loops for entry and exit out of shantiniketan

Cost: Two crisscross loops

6. Hoody Circle

Solution: Underpass.

Cost 1 Underpass

7. Pheonix Mall

Solution Samelike Shantiniketan. Two crisscross loops for entry and exit.

Cost: Two crisscross loops

8. Hopefarm circle

Solution: Over bridge or underpass

Cost: 1 Overbridge / Underpass.

8. K.R. Puram bridge

Solution: Well its out of whitefield area so will think about it in second phase.

Seriously if you guys look at it, the amount of infrastructure we are demanding would cost less than 1% of tax revenue which govt. (both central and state ) collects from whitefield area as a whole. Cant we even get 1% of annual tax revenue spent on us for just one year?

 DISCLAIMER: My solutions might not be perfect the problems are perfect. Comments welcomed.

PRAJA.IN COMMENT GUIDELINES

Posting Guidelines apply for comments as well. No foul language, hate mongering or personal attacks. If criticizing third person or an authority, you must be fact based, as constructive as possible, and use gentle words. Avoid going off-topic no matter how nice your comment is. Moderators reserve the right to either edit or simply delete comments that don't meet these guidelines. If you are nice enough to realize you violated the guidelines, please save Moderators some time by editing and fixing yourself. Thanks!