Bangalore and Signal Free Corridors

silkboard - 30-JUN-2010

Public transport die hards don't want any of this. Car lovers want them. But many believe that some solution is required in Bangalore to improve radial connectivity across ends of Outer Ring Road.

• BBMP has been trying to improve radial connectivity by widening some corridors, and planning more flyovers etc at busy signals.
• BBMP has tried doing this on Belary Road via Magic Boxes.
• Some people have proposed tunnel roads to connect CBD with Outer areas.
• BDA is converting Outer Ring Road to a signal free corridor
• CTTP 2007 had proposed long elevated roads above 4 key radial corridors.

Let us outline detailed posts on the subject under this book. This is a wiki post anyway, so if anyone wants to add more to this page itself, just edit it instead of adding comments.

Rethinking road-widening - Tunnels?

Transmogrifier - 22-JUN-2010

One of the core infrastructural issues we are facing is an inability of our arterial roads and highways to provide rapid cross-town access. Globally, city and highway planners recognize and create different infrastructure for highways and city roads. See Dr. Joglekar’s posts here for a succinct description of this problem plaguing most Indian cities. A simple schematic (full size image here)and an inventory of city highways reveals the problem.

Thru Highways:

1. NH7 (in blue)
2. NH4 (in red)

Terminal Highways:

Signal Free Corridor projects - need scrutiny (updated)

silkboard - 1-JUN-2010

Vinay S, an active member at Hasiru Usiru has obtained detailed information from BBMP on upcoming signal free corridor projects. Many people think that the project(s) need some serious scrutiny for the returns they promise on investments. Its one thing to make a relatively new road like Outer ring road into a signal free corridor, and another to talk about turning more than half dozen radial roads signal free without a clear plan for each and every interesction that lies on the way, or more important, without commensurate or alternate investments on public transport (like priority lanes for Big10 routes). Many feel that without such clarity, these corridor projects may end up being "bottleneck shifting" or "more parking space for free" projects.

Vinay has promised to mail over all documents he has obtained (will upload them here as soon as I get hold of them). We may need to scan and upload some sketches as well.

Grade separator projects across 7 arterial corridors

vaishvittal - 25-NOV-2009

The BBMP’s Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) has approved grade separator projects and road widening across the 12 arterial corridors in Bengaluru. This is part of making these corridors signal-free.

BBMP has grand plans for the city

s_yajaman - 6-SEP-2009

The transport minister has come out with a mega proposal for Bangalore.  

http://www.deccanherald.com/content/23637/mega-revamp-plan-city.html

Some highlights - 

More signal free madness

s_yajaman - 14-AUG-2009

More signal free madness from BBMP.  And this is going to cost Rs.2500 crores.  Saw this in bangalorebuzz.blogspot.com but could not source the newspaper.

KR Circle - remains a mess

s_yajaman - 31-JUL-2009

Went past KR Circle at peak evening traffic yesterday evening.  had been to Kaveri Bhavan and then took the Post Office Road to go to Cubbon Park. 

What are they smoking ?

rs - 25-MAY-2009

One has to really wonder what the BBMP is smoking - 

www.expressbuzz.com/edition/story.aspx

"Signal free" Hosur Road: opportunity or nightmare?

Transmogrifier - 5-FEB-2009

Just caught this in the news; BBMP's plans to convert Hosur road to a Bellary road like "signal free" stretch (read more here).

This is another series of traffic engineering nightmares just waiting to happen (narrow underpasses, plain bad design, non-existent pedestrian infrastructure). Ironically, they actually have cited Bellary Road as the model to emulate. There must be some way to get in on this and at least attempt to get things done more holistically. RTI the design plans? Another meet with BBMP? Two things that I could immediately think of: