a letter to Bangalore traffic Police..

"One copy of this letter was sent to Praveen Sood, additional commissioner of traffic,Bangalore.
He replied through mail that he agreed and noted down my points.Cheers!"


Hi Sir,
First of all I thank you for your patience and efforts in handling the traffic chaos in Bangalore.I am still safe because of your valuable time spent to tame the traffic menace everyday.
I am Sudhir Sonnad ,one of software engineer like many others in the city.We all know the situation of Bangalore traffic.Now lots of projects like Metro, Flyovers,Underpasses, Widening roads are going on to address the issue.

But do you think these steps help? Sir you might have observed, the current traffic chaos is not because of narrow roads but due to the lack of strict plan to utilize the road space effectively.

Problem lies here:

>> 99% bus drivers stop the buses on the road blocking half of the road space and even most of the bus-stops are after the signals. So smooth flow never happens in the signals.
>> Parkings everywhere.Some in front of their shops, some park for their trivial works and some vehicles parked due to puncture or any mechanical failures.Everyone needs road space.Most of them are illegal parkings.
>> No strict rules to follow lane systems.Free lefts/rights are always covered by other vehicles.
>> There are lots of intersections on every major road which is biggest obstacle for smooth flow.

This can be realistic:

>> Road widening never helps until Buses are avoided to stop on the lanes. Bus-stops should be shifted entirely out of the main lanes.
Drivers should be strictly made to stop in dedicated place.Commuters dramatically start waiting beneath the dedicated shelters(not on the roads) if Buses follow.

>> Remove all public parkings. Let Government/any firm build parking lots across the city(like the one near corporation circle). People should park the vehicles in the nearby parking lots. Lets use the roads only for transportation nothing else.

>> Strict Lane system should be brought. Driving licence should be issued only when the driver/rider shows his knowledge on lane systems.
Most of the riders are not aware of the lane system - continuous line - double line - dotted line - left only sign - Left/straight signs present on the lanes. Popularizing GPS usage helps to follow the lanes.Currently Most of the people are confused about their routes. Use of GPS clears many hurdles.

>> Avoid small intersections/circles on the main roads. Let people connect to the current lane and take U turn to join the opposite lane. There should be dedicated space given to take U turn. This avoids unnecessary signals and sudden entries ahead of lane.

>> Popularize bicycle usage for greener Bangalore.Separate dedicated bicycle lanes easily tempt people to shift to bicycles to roam inside the city.Ideal city is the one where people come by car/bus/motorbikes and park in the dedicated parking lots and take rented/own bicycles or any public transport to roam around nearby needs.It reduces pollution drastically.

>> There should be some tactic to manage traffic signals.it should act according to traffic congestion.Traffic police should be equipped with high gadgets to find the loops easily and quickly.

I guess all my solutions cost less compare to the money spent on Flyovers, under-passes,metros, and road widening projects.I bet even these ongoing projects never help until we follow clever measures.

Lets healthy tidy clever rules dominate us in public.Its far better than current haphazardness.Our generation slowly enjoy the fun of being lane discipline and punctual.

Let me know If I can help you to make some difference.

Thanks,
Sudhir Sonnad