Bicycling support from Govt - Initiative from Urban and Transport Department,Gok

[murali hr]

Dear Friends,

RACF has been working closely with Urban Department to support cycling in Bangalore.

Urban Department has now a senior IAS officer and also very dynamic, pro cycling, pedestrian friendly officer -  who is in-charge of the land transport and she is also the convenor of Bangalore Metropolitan Land Transport Authority.

Smt  Manjula V IAS, Commissioner of Directorate of Urban Land Transport had called the meeting to discuss the subject of Alternate Cycle Tracks for Cyclists.

RACF had identified around 45km of the roads and had requested that they be declared cycle roads officially.

The meeting concluded that a field visit will bring in more clarity and hence a field visit was planned by the offices of transport department and urban department

on 13 th november.

The objective of the field visit was to

1. Understand  the feasibility and ground reality of the identified routes.

2. Check the catchment areas for the cyclists.

3. Finalize a action plan for the same.

 

The different members from transort and urban department assembled at 9:00am@ Ashoka Pillar. The field trip began at the Ashoka Pillar, with Sri Bhaskar Rao, Transport Commissioner  himself driving the vehicle along the identified route.

The meeting was attended by the DULT officers/transport planners/urban planners, Transport Commissioner Sri Bhaskar Rao, BBMP Engineers and RACF people - Pradeep Banavara ,Sharath Raju, Murali HR.

First Stretch :

This stretch starts from MakalaKoota in Chamrajpet and ends in the national college basavanagudi.

The team observed that the road is wide and can easilly accomodate cyclists. This road also has a swimming pool and a big play ground.

Issues :

Parking of Buses and other heavy vehicles on both sides.

Footpath encroachment by various people for many reasons.

Pls check the photo below.

U see the buses take 3/4 of the roads. Rendering footpaths useless.

Look at this boy - Can  u please give me space on the road ?Can u pls also accommodate my small cycle.Btw, i come to this national college playground,

 

Lot of kid related functions happen here !

Second Stretch : National College to Jayanagar.

The pampa mahakavi road ends at national college flyover. The team also noticed that the flyover does not take into consideration 

The cyclist coming from Basavanagudi cannot enter the pampa mahakavi road as the flyover blocks his entry. He has to go an extra 1km to enter the pampa 

mahakavi road.

The team also noticed that the conservancy lanes of gandhi bazaar and basavanagudi could also be developed as cycle tracks.

Commissioner has assured that she will check the encroachment in these areas of public property and the possibility of utilizing the encroached space for cyclists.

Pictures of  free conservancy lanes :

If our plan succeds these roads would be developed as cycle Only roads in basavanagudi.

ENCROACHED  CONSERVANCY LANE

So u can see that there are cyclists riding their cycles in these conservancy lanes.

Third Stretch :Surana College To Jayanagar 5th Block High Grounds.

The team then travelled across the 3rd main running parallel to the metrolink road and surveyed the area.

Here also the garbage was dumped and the parking of vehicles in a hap hazard manner made it difficult to cycle in the area.

Overall this stretch had minimum traffic and also has adequate space.

Garbage dumping is a common thing on indian roads.

Fourth Stretch : Jayanagar 5th Block High Grounds To BTM and JP Nagar.

Then the team moved into the BTM layout area and observed that the footpath leading to the btm from jayanagar is completely encroached

and is poorly maintained.

 

Fifth Stretch : Madiwala Lake.

Then the team reached the madiwala lake . Madiwala Lake Track proposal has been approved by the govt and the feasibility study is being done.

We saw that the lake bed has been encroached by the Aprtment Fellows and commissioner has promised that she will look into the encroachment.

Encroached Tank Bed 

Later the team had a discussion abt the next action steps.

Learnings :

1.Wide Roads exist and the space is not properly utilized.So there is space for cyclists - and all those talk of where is space for cyclist is all rubbish.

2. Cycle Infrastructure can be created and it needs the support of community and a good officer to drive these things.

3. Best Way to convince a officer to support cycling is to make him a cyclist himself.

So here are the NEXT steps :

1.  DULT to identify the routes and the strategies for making these link roads as cycle roads. 

2.  DULT to come out with list of issues and possible solutions to the same.

3.  DULT in co-ordination with RACF and the cycling community to finalize a action plan for implementation within a month. 

4.  RACF to generate community support for the project. 

So we will get back to u once the govt is clear on what needs to be done to support an important mobility in bangalore.

Good News :

RACF had requested for installation of Bicycle Racks @ Lalbagh Main Gates, Cubbon Park .

It has been approved and we will see shortly the bicycle racks to make parking safer.

regards,

murali,

[Jackson]

Hi Murali,

Thanks for the update. Its encouraging to see that the Govt is trying
to make Bangalore a cycle-friendly city.

Your pictures haven't come yet. Please post your pictures.

Thanks,
Jackson

On Nov 15, 4:37 pm, murali hr <muralihr1...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Dear Friends,
>
> RACF has been working closely with Urban Department to support cycling in
> Bangalore.
>
> Urban Department has now a senior IAS officer and also very dynamic, pro
> cycling, pedestrian friendly officer -  who is in-charge of the land
> transport and she is also the convenor of Bangalore Metropolitan Land
> Transport Authority.
>
> Smt  Manjula V IAS, Commissioner of Directorate of Urban Land Transport

> <http://stg1.kar.nic.in/dult/>had called the meeting to discuss the subject

> of Alternate Cycle Tracks for Cyclists.
> RACF had identified around 45km of the roads and had requested that they be
> declared cycle roads officially.
>
> The meeting concluded that a field visit will bring in more clarity and
> hence a field visit was planned by the offices of transport department and
> urban department
> on 13 th november.
>
> The objective of the field visit was to
> 1. Understand  the feasibility and ground reality of the identified routes.
> 2. Check the catchment areas for the cyclists.
> 3. Finalize a action plan for the same.
>
> The different members from transort and urban department assembled at
> 9:00am@ Ashoka Pillar. The field trip began at the Ashoka Pillar, with Sri
> Bhaskar Rao, Transport Commissioner  himself driving the vehicle along the
> identified route.
>
> The meeting was attended by the DULT officers/transport planners/urban
> planners, Transport Commissioner Sri Bhaskar Rao, BBMP Engineers and RACF
> people - Pradeep Banavara ,Sharath Raju, Murali HR.
>

> *
> *
> *First Stretch :*

> This stretch starts from MakalaKoota in Chamrajpet and ends in the national
> college basavanagudi.
> The team observed that the road is wide and can easilly accomodate cyclists.
> This road also has a swimming pool and a big play ground.

> *Issues :*

> Parking of Buses and other heavy vehicles on both sides.
> Footpath encroachment by various people for many reasons.
> Pls check the photo below.

> *U see the buses take 3/4 of the roads. Rendering footpaths useless.*
>
> *
> *
> *Look at this boy - Can  u please give me space on the road ?Can u pls

> also accommodate my small cycle.Btw, i come to this national college

> playground,*
> * *

>
> Lot of kid related functions happen here !
>

> *Second Stretch : National College to Jayanagar.*

> The pampa mahakavi road ends at national college flyover. The team also
> noticed that the flyover does not take into consideration
> The cyclist coming from Basavanagudi cannot enter the pampa mahakavi road as
> the flyover blocks his entry. He has to go an extra 1km to enter the pampa
> mahakavi road.
> The team also noticed that the conservancy lanes of gandhi bazaar and
> basavanagudi could also be developed as cycle tracks.
> Commissioner has assured that she will check the encroachment in these areas
> of public property and the possibility of utilizing the encroached space for
> cyclists.

> *Pictures of  free conservancy lanes :*
> *
> *
> *If our plan succeds these roads would be developed as cycle Only roads in
> basavanagudi.*
>
> **
> *
> *
> **
> *ENCROACHED  CONSERVANCY LANE*
> **
> *
> *
> **
> *
> *
> *So u can see that there are cyclists riding their cycles in these
> conservancy lanes.*
> *
> *
> *Third Stretch :Surana College To Jayanagar 5th Block High Grounds.*

> The team then travelled across the 3rd main running parallel to the
> metrolink road and surveyed the area.
> Here also the garbage was dumped and the parking of vehicles in a hap hazard
> manner made it difficult to cycle in the area.
> Overall this stretch had minimum traffic and also has adequate space.
>

> *Garbage dumping is a common thing on indian roads.*
>
> **
> *
> *
> *
> *
> *Fourth Stretch : Jayanagar 5th Block High Grounds To BTM and JP Nagar.*

> Then the team moved into the BTM layout area and observed that the footpath
> leading to the btm from jayanagar is completely encroached
> and is poorly maintained.
>

> *Fifth Stretch : Madiwala Lake*.

> Then the team reached the madiwala lake . Madiwala Lake Track proposal has
> been approved by the govt and the feasibility study is being done.
> We saw that the lake bed has been encroached by the Aprtment Fellows and
> commissioner has promised that she will look into the encroachment.
>

> Encroached Tank Bed
>
> *
> *
> *Later the team had a discussion abt the next action steps.*
> *
> *
> *
> *
> *Learnings :*

>
> 1.Wide Roads exist and the space is not properly utilized.So there is space
> for cyclists - and all those talk of where is space for cyclist is all
> rubbish.
> 2. Cycle Infrastructure can be created and it needs the support of community
> and a good officer to drive these things.
> 3. Best Way to convince a officer to support cycling is to make him a
> cyclist himself.
>

> *So here are the NEXT steps :*

> 1.  DULT to identify the routes and the strategies for making these link
> roads as cycle roads.
> 2.  DULT to come out with list of issues and possible solutions to the same.
> 3.  DULT in co-ordination with RACF and the cycling community to finalize a
> action plan for implementation within a month.
> 4.  RACF to generate community support for the project.
>
> So we will get back to u once the govt is clear on what needs to be done to
> support an important mobility in bangalore.

> *Good News :*
> *RACF had requested for installation of Bicycle Racks @ Lalbagh Main Gates,
> Cubbon Park .*
> *It has been approved and we will see shortly the bicycle racks to make
> parking safer.*
> *
> *
> *regards,*
> *murali,*
> *
> *

[vinay sreenivasa]

great work @teamracf ! let us know how we can support! Thanks, Vinay ---------------------------- Streets and Their side walks are the main public places of a city; they are its most vital organs. Think of the city and what comes to the mind? Its streets – Jane Jacobs, 1961. --- On Mon, 15/11/10, murali hr <murali...@gmail.com> wrote:

__._,_.___ Reply to sender | Reply to group | Reply via web post | Start a New Topic Messages in this topic (1) Recent Activity: New Members 2 Visit Your Group Switch to: Text-Only, Daily Digest • Unsubscribe • Terms of Use . __,_._,___

[Yogesh N. Rao]

On Mon, Nov 15, 2010 at 5:07 PM, murali hr <murali...@gmail.com> wrote:

So here are the NEXT steps :

1.  DULT to identify the routes and the strategies for making these link roads as cycle roads. 

2.  DULT to come out with list of issues and possible solutions to the same.

3.  DULT in co-ordination with RACF and the cycling community to finalize a action plan for implementation within a month. 

4.  RACF to generate community support for the project. 

So we will get back to u once the govt is clear on what needs to be done to support an important mobility in bangalore.

Good News :

RACF had requested for installation of Bicycle Racks @ Lalbagh Main Gates, Cubbon Park .

It has been approved and we will see shortly the bicycle racks to make parking safer.

Murali, this is fantastic news. I congratulate you and RACf for having engaged Smt Manjula and for having made recommendations that are close to my heart. I am very happy that you did not stick to just bicycling but also spoke about issues faced by pedestrians. Many several senior citizens I know will never bicycle, but they also need safe access to walk within the city - on foot-paths and zebra crossing.

Couple of questions and a remark:
1. Did you get a day/time appointment on her calendar for a next meeting or for another check-point? This will fizzle out otherwise.
2. You say bike racks have been approved near Lal Bagh and Cubbon Park. Great! Any idea how shortly we may get these?
3. Finally, one point to note. The stretch between Makkala-koota and National College in Basavanagudi has several transporters. The biggest being National Travels. National Travels is owned by Sri.Zameer Ahmed Khan, MLA for Chamrajpet constituency. Let's recognize that Smt.Manjula has a significant challenge in making the buses park cleanly without interrupting traffic. We need to congratulate if she is able to make this happen.

On a related note, most vehicles on Bangalore road are operated by 4 large companies: BMTC, SRS, Infant's, and National. If we can get these 4 to come up with some self-policing safety measures, Bangalore may be a different place to live in :-)

What do you say,
Yogesh.

[Joe George]

I noticed that the UK government has an interesting tax to employers to promote cycling.

http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/sustainable/cycling/cycletoworkguidance/

Employers can offer cycles to employees as a part of their allowance and entire expenditure for the bike is tax exempt. Many Indian companies provide a car on similar lines though the tax exemption has become more and more complicated over the years. If we can lobby the government to extend such a benefit to cyclists, then it would be easy to convince our employers to offer it to us. 

This provision is also bound to attract the support of bike manufacturers. May be BBC and other biking forums can start lobbying for such a change before the next budget. Anyone knows how to proceed?

Thanks,

Joe

--
biking conversations on the world famous "Bangalore Bikers Club" :)

are you a part of the bicycle racing scene?
Visit www.bangalorebicyclechampionships.com for more details

[Rohan Kini]

Some of us at BOTS are working on this Joe. Trying to get a bike2Work scheme going (anyone else who is interested, please do ping me)

We already have the ball rolling in some places and hope to get a lot more soon. We are currently drawing up a plan and getting interested folks to have a sustained effort over the next year and see if we can get about 1000 folks commuting in Bangalore.

Wheels of Change baby .. Wheels of Change :)

UK/US is far far ahead just in terms of being bicycle friendly.

Here its a struggle just to introduce the concept of bicycling, let along lobby for tax benefits for cyclists.

The bike manufacturers you talk about are pretty content with what they currently have. Dont think anyone is really bothered about social change. The numbers are way too small.

Its all happening, just a tad slowly :) 

~ ROhan
@ http://blog.bumsonthesaddle.com

[Pradeep B V]

And Rohan has been doing this evangelism for years and he is one of the few people who inspired me to pick up a bike. :-)

Go Rohan go .. 

[Joe George]

Rohan,

Thank you.

Some of us at BOTS are working on this Joe. Trying to get a bike2Work scheme going (anyone else who is interested, please do ping me)

I tried working this in my company. It was denied because of Indian Tax Laws. In fact, they currently pay out Rs 6000 as wellness allowance which can be used for health club memberships, yoga classes etc. But, they would not let me use it for cycling gear. And I thought that lobbying the government to introduce a change in the tax laws (to allow tax free status to bicycle purchases or eco-friendly transport) could be forcing the hand of employers who want to play it safe with the IT department. With Mahindra and Mahindra taking over Reva Electric Cars and Tata Motors dabbling in electric Indicas/Nanos, they would be interested in joining the bandwagon as well.

 

We already have the ball rolling in some places and hope to get a lot more soon. We are currently drawing up a plan and getting interested folks to have a sustained effort over the next year and see if we can get about 1000 folks commuting in Bangalore.

Is there some place where you track this list, I know of a few folks at Sun who took to bicycle commuting. In fact, I do whitefield to Richmond Circle everyday, rain or shine. I quite like it. Enough to consider moving to a road bike to make the commute faster. 

Wheels of Change baby .. Wheels of Change :)

UK/US is far far ahead just in terms of being bicycle friendly.

Here its a struggle just to introduce the concept of bicycling, let along lobby for tax benefits for cyclists.

The bike manufacturers you talk about are pretty content with what they currently have. Dont think anyone is really bothered about social change. The numbers are way too small.

Try, try and try. 

I am interested in contributing to any effort aimed at llegislation change to make cycling more appealing.

~Joe 

[Hari Menon]

I agree. Rohan was the one who inspired me to consider taking up
cycling seriously nearly three years ago, which was when I first came
across his blog. He was patient enough to answer my questions and
address my doubts despite knowing that I wouldn't be able to buy from
BOTS since I'm in Bombay. I'm the proud owner of a Trek 4300 today,
thanks to him. I haven't met him in person yet though. :)

Cheers,
Hari

[Parag]

Rohan/Murali,
This is a great initiative, I would like to volunteer as well.

I have been commuting to work on my cycle for about 18 months now, and
I have been trying to persuade some of my colleagues at Oracle to take
up cycling, but without too much to show for it ;-(
Maybe a structured Cycle2work program will help draw more people in ?

Regards,
Parag

[Rohan Kini]

:) Thanks for the kind words guys - the bikes do the talking, not us :)

Cool - keep letting me know if you are specifically interested in the "Wheels of Change" campaign.

There has been a lot of work done on this front, but there is a LOT more to be done. Need all the bikers that we can get our hands on to actually effect change!