Indiranagar 100 Feet Road Revisted

Last week I was in Bangalore again and was on the 100 feet road Indiranagar before day break on a walk with my sister.
The weather was beautiful and with a good amount of chill in the air after the earlier nights rain.
Nature had taken upon herself to clean the roads and remaining trees on the 100 feet road, everything was looking freshly minted.
The pavements are not fit for walking, was surprised to see such poor engineering in India's  Silicon Valley.
So most walkers walk on the road and we too decide to follow in a single file, which meant limited conversation with my sister.
My sister showed me the site where some early morning walkers were mowed down by a speeding car a few months ago.
The positive was the presence of policemen patrolling the area, this was reassuring, kudos to the Bangalore Police for their constant vigil.
A young  biker skidded on a T junction and within minutes the police came on a motorcycle and began investigations.
There were more stumps of the  chopped trees , one stump had ferns planted on it, maybe a tribute to the dead tree  since it was Ash Wednesday.
The side streets of Indiranagar still retain their pristine beauty with trees which have still not met the power of the AXE as yet, the question is how long.
The trees around the metro route have been retained which was reassuring  exception I am told was when the poor tree stood on the way of the metro.

[caption id="attachment_168" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="The city transforms from sleepy Bangalore to Vibrant Bengaluru!"][/caption]

The 100 feet road today seems to be a hot spot for chain snatching especially among women walkers and the police ask the women to walk with no jewellery.
This visit I accepted that the old Bangalore  was also dying just like the trees of the 100 feet road and in its place was springing up a Mega city.
My only prayer was that Bangalore still retain its soul and beautiful climate in this wanton growth of this once garden city of India.
RIP old Bangalore, Welcome to the World Bengaluru the new Global Mega City.

A quick link to my earlier blog post on this stretch of Bengaluru/Bangalore.
http://subramanianls.wordpress.com/2011/04/05/bangalore-musings-100-feet-road-indiranagar/http://subramanianls.wordpress.com/2011/04/09/indiranagar-100-feet-road-in-pictures/

A Pedestrians Right of Passage in Powai

A Pedestrian has NO right of passage in Powai, why single out  Powai this may be true for most parts of Mumbai /Bombay.
It is a wonderful experience to take a walk in the streets of Powai in the evening, not only it energizes you but it also keeps you alert and makes you combat ready.
The first rule  is to look on the surface of the road more than you look ahead, since you will have to navigate through the doggy  and human poo on the road.
Since there are no walkways for pedestrians you will have to walk on the road, competing with bicycles, motorcycles, cars, auto rickshaws, trucks and also pedestrians, you need to be Agile to overcome these obstacles.
Also you will have to be  alert for a speeding vehicle whose driver owns the roadway, so one has to be careful and give the vehicle right of way.
After this hard negotiation of traffic, people and excreta I finally manage to reach a pedestrian walkway which is beautiful and nice on the banks of the Powai lake.
There are enough dustbins provided but people still believe it is their birthright to litter the pathway, then there are the various vendors who sell peanuts, bhel and what not and occupy their positions on the walkway. But still is I think the only place where the pedestrians right of passage is possible in Powai.
Of course you need to be tolerant to the pollution from the road in the peak hour and hooting of horns as the traffic trundle through this congested road in the evenings.
Certain sections of the Powai  lake walkway is reserved for couples who are quite active in the evening, the police  sometimes arrive and take the couples in their vans for more rest and recreations until the judge is done with them.

Sunset and Fountains at Powai Lake

  The most outstanding aspect of the Powai walkway is the beautiful sunset and the musical fountains which  add life and glamour at the end of a tiring day.
Of course over the months I have become a veteran and have started enjoying my evening walks in Powai, after all adaptation is the name of the Game.
But still there are days when I wonder whether it is time to move on the from this  Urban hell to a Rural setting, maybe the poo with its smells maybe more pungent in the village, but I think the roads are cleaner and people nicer.

An Auto Drivers Perspective on why we break the law!

On Sunday the roads in Mumbai are generally empty in the mornings and it is easy to get around without getting choked in the traffic. Last Sunday I decided to take an auto since securing a safe parking place in Bombay even on a Sunday is a challenge.

I got chatting with the auto driver as he drove me through the empty roads and he stopped at the right light. The traffic behind him kept honking until he decided to move on through the red light.

I asked him why we have such  scant respect for Red lights and the law. His wisdom in the matter was interesting, he told me it was not corruption that made people break the law, it was the fact that first they may not get caught at all. If they got caught at a signal by the police officer one could negotiate to be let off without a receipt, but if one insisted you could still pay the mandatory fine and get a receipt.

His observation was the fine was so petty that no one worried about breaking the law, there were no harsh punishment like cancellation of the license or prison terms for most road offences and he  identified  that was the reason why people break the law!  He also told me that even if one is taken to court the law takes its own course and time.

I reflected on his wisdom and I think he is right; no one dares to drink and drive anymore in Mumbai because the police made sure that you spend an evening as their guest before the judge fixes the fine next day. It was quickly understood that no amount of money would get you off immediately and hence everyone stopped drinking and driving. Of course the police still do catch  foolhardy drivers but that is an exception then the rule.

Earlier the same Sunday morning I was in another auto and guess what the police were busy booking people for jumping the signal at 7 a.m. in the morning, it was clear that the police did not believe in late night catches  anymore for drunken drivers and now believed in the old saying “The early bird catches the Worms”.

Maybe we should get auto and truck drivers to be in the committees that formulate the traffic laws so that we have a safer ride in our roads. Remember we have one of the highest number per million  of road fatalities  in  the world.

I did some primary research and found this wonderful website of International Road Federation – India chapter (http://www.indiairf.com)  addressing the issues on road safety and I reproduce below from the document on this site by the name “REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE ON ROAD SAFETY and TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT” dated February 2007 which highlights the outcome of our Breaking the Law.

According to WHO statistics (year 2002) about 11.8 lakh people die every year in road accidents, the world over, of which 84,674 deaths are reported to take place in India. In 2004 the number of deaths had increased to 92,618. The mortality rate in India is 8.7 per hundred thousand populations as compared to 5.6 in UK, 5.4 in Sweden, 5.0 in The Netherlands and 6.7 in Japan. In terms of mortality per 10,000 vehicles, the rate in India is as high as 14 as compared to less than two in developed countries. The cost of road crashes has been assessed at one to two per cent of GDP in developed countries. A study by the Planning Commission in 2002 estimated the social cost of road accidents in India at Rs.55, 000 crore annually (2000 prices), which constitutes about 3% of the GDP.

The statistics are dated and one can safely assume that they would have moved North in the last 9 years (2002~2011).

I believe the only way to arrest this is if we start making the difference in our driving habits and also educate the “law breakers” and finally  pay heed to  conversations with auto drivers!