From yanivbin at gmail.com Fri Jan 13 23:57:15 2017 From: yanivbin at gmail.com (Vinay Baindur) Date: Fri, 13 Jan 2017 20:27:15 +0530 Subject: [sustran] Connaught Place to go traffic free. Ban on vehicles starts from Feb. Message-ID: http://scrolltoday.com/connaught-place-go-traffic-free-ban-vehicles-starts-feb/ Connaught Place to go traffic free. Ban on vehicles starts from Feb. By Sowmya Seshadri - January 8, 2017 The gridlock in the Connaught Place, the heart of the city and one of the most famous shopping districts. Photo Credits: BBC In the wake of the increase in pollution in the national capital, the Ministry of Urban Development has passed an order to curb traffic in Connaught Place. Situated in the heart of the city, this place is one of the famous shopping districts. Along with the bustling pedestrians, this place always witnesses a gridlock almost throughout the day. The Ministry of Urban Development has decided to ban vehicles in Connaught Place for 3 months. Starting this February, the Connaught Place will be a vehicle free zone. Although it does not stop the cycles and electric vehicles moving into these roads. Shri Venkaiah Naidu, Union Minister of Urban Development, passed this order in early November of 2016. During this period, the State and Central Government will work together to improve traffic management, parking and last mile connectivity. Shri Venkaiah Naidu passed this order, expressing concern over poor maintenance of the road from the airport to Connaught Place. He directed the New Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC) and South MCD to undertake necessary interventions to make the district a smart road with all necessary features. He also stressed the need for provision of quality pedestrian pathways and non-motorised transport infrastructure. The order is specifies that all roads in NDMC area will become smart. The smart features include smart poles, smart bus stops and smart parking. The NDMC will install features like pedestrian crossings, pedestrian and cycle pathways, CCTV cameras, LED lighting, 3D Zebra crossings, steel furniture etc. This 3 month period will also be used to introduce and spread awareness on electric vehicles. This order is not only for Connaught Place, but also for Khan Market. Delhi has the highest level of the airborne particulate matter, PM2.5 considered most harmful to health, with 153 micrograms and tops the polluted cities of the world. This move is indeed very much important for the National Capital, as it is one of the most polluted cities in the world. The state has already been taking certain steps to reduce the air pollution and traffic congestion. This additional step is very well welcomed by the city dwellers. This ban, if successful, will continue and many other bustling districts of the sub-continent will also follow this order. From yanivbin at gmail.com Mon Jan 16 23:22:28 2017 From: yanivbin at gmail.com (Vinay Baindur) Date: Mon, 16 Jan 2017 19:52:28 +0530 Subject: [sustran] Hub and Spoke model can make public transport system more efficient: IISc study Message-ID: http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/bangalore/Hub-and-Spoke-model-can-make-public-transport-system-more-efficient-IISc-study/article17018422.ece Hub and Spoke model can make public transport system more efficient: IISc study K.C. Deepika BENGALURU JANUARY 10, 2017 18:39 IST UPDATED: JANUARY 12, 2017 14:22 IST A view of the Kempegowda Bus Station. ? Could the airport-hub model be the answer to a more efficient public transport system in Bengaluru? A study conducted by a team from the Indian Institute of Science (IISc.), Bangalore, says a bus transit service based on a destination-oriented or point-to-point approach in a large city is ?cumbersome? and ?impractical.? Instead, it proposes a ?Hub and Spoke network,? which is a combination of destination-oriented and direction-oriented approaches, as the more efficient choice. The recently published paper, ?Development of hub and spoke model for improving operational efficiency of bus transit network of Bangalore city,? analysed the impact that creating multiple hubs - such as the Kempegowda Bus Station - can have on the operating efficiency of the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) as well as on the passengers. What the study, conducted by the Department of Civil Engineering and Centre for Infrastructure Sustainable Transportation and Urban Planning (CiSTUP) and Department of Civil Engineering revealed was that with 17 potential hubs, three shortest paths for each route and a minimum of 10 minute feeder routes, the total number of routes could reduce to 344 routes, requiring 4,436 buses. At present, the BMTC operates 908 routes with 6,056 buses, the paper said. Explaining how, Prof. Ashish Verma from CiSTUP said, ?This model is commonly used in the airline network. There are hub airports such as in Dubai and Frankfurt. Instead of direct flights, they aggregate the demand, bring it to hub airport, consolidate them and take them to different destinations. In the Bengaluru context, the TTMCs are spread out quite well and were supposed to act as hubs when they were conceived because they have transfer service, parking facility and commercial spaces. The idea is not to utilise them, but to use them to improve operational efficiency of the network.? What the study, which has been submitted to the BMTC, does is address problems of the present system, wherein a ?web of bus routes, many of them long, ply through mixed traffic conditions resulting in poor reliability of travel time. Capacity is also wasted, with some buses running full and some others empty, while the frequency of the buses and the round trip time are also affected. Instead, the model seeks to ?slice? longer routes into smaller ones, aggregating demand at the hub locations, from where there will be high frequency feeder buses between hubs as well as transfer services to destinations. Ekroop Caur, Managing Director, BMTC said the corporation had already implemented the ?hub and spoke? model, reaping positive results. These were from the Kempegowda Bus Station to Attibele and Hoskote, Kanakapura and the ITPB. ?We have seen an increase in ridership and frequency of buses and are planning to implement the model in more sectors,? she added. However, Prof. Verma said the model had to be applied to the entire network to achieve full efficiency. From yanivbin at gmail.com Sat Jan 21 00:04:47 2017 From: yanivbin at gmail.com (Vinay Baindur) Date: Fri, 20 Jan 2017 20:34:47 +0530 Subject: [sustran] Delhi wants fewer cars on road, but bus fleet declines Message-ID: http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/news/national/delhi-wants-fewer-cars-on-road-but-bus-fleet-declines/article9490773.ece Delhi wants fewer cars on road, but bus fleet declines OUR BUREAU [image: Only 336 buses were added to the number of public buses across India ? rising to 140,497 in 2014-15 from 140,161 in the previous year - Photo: VV Krishnan] Only 336 buses were added to the number of public buses across India ? rising to 140,497 in 2014-15 from 140,161 in the previous year - Photo: VV Krishnan CSE report says 30% of Indian land degraded NEW DELHI, JANUARY 19: Alarming levels of urban pollution across India, particularly in the national capital, have seen the onus being put on citizens, who are being asked to give up use of private vehicles in favour of public transport. Yet, the number of state-run buses in Delhi actually took a dip in 2014-15. According to the State of Environment 2017 report by the Centre for Science and Environment, Delhi?s bus fleet stood at 5,341 in 2013-14, which fell by 364 to 4,977 in 2014-15. *Bus addition* Further, only 336 buses were added to the number of public buses across India ? rising to 140,497 in 2014-15 from 140,161 in the previous year. Meanwhile, the sale of private cars has gone up by 300 per cent between 2000 and 2015, with over 1.5 lakh cars being registered in the city every year. In the year 2000, just over 79,000 cars were registered. ?The country, on an average, has just two buses for every 1,000 people, which only shows the poor state of public transport system. However, the 46 state-run bus services in the country have losses to the tune of ?10,810 crore till date,? the report notes. The report also finds that there has been a 9 per cent dip in the number of people using state-run buses in the past five years. *Alarming figures* The report paints a disturbing picture of declining environmental health of the country from uncontrolled rapid urbanisation ? 26 of 29 states have reported a rise in area undergoing desertification in the past 10 years and almost 30 per cent of India is degraded. As many as 69 major floods were reported between 2000 and 2015, most of which were directly linked to loss of water bodies. No fewer than 5,156 environmental crime cases registered in 2014 and 2015, even though its one of the least reported crimes. ?In nine states, around 40 to 70 per cent of land has undergone desertification,? the report said. Desertification of land has a direct impact on farm produce and with the country?s burgeoning population and uneven development, this has serious consequences. *Poor implementation* The report highlights a mismatch between the government?s announced intents and actions. The Bill for Compensatory Afforestation Funds has been passed, but rampant violation of Forest Rights Acts continue; scheme to issue soil health cards was launched in 2015 to combat desertification, but only 23 per cent of the target has been met. Saansad Adarsh Gram Yojana was launched in 2014 for development of villages but 80 per cent of the Members of Parliament are yet to identify villages under the scheme; and only 40 per cent of the Member of Parliament Local Area Development Funds have been spent. From yanivbin at gmail.com Fri Jan 27 03:34:38 2017 From: yanivbin at gmail.com (Vinay Baindur) Date: Fri, 27 Jan 2017 00:04:38 +0530 Subject: [sustran] Ola, Uber may have to withdraw ride sharing services in Karnataka Message-ID: http://www.livemint.com/Companies/IAsSanOVNcvdFEW1ctJg0I/Ola-Uber-may-have-to-withdraw-ride-sharing-services-in-Karn.html Ola, Uber may have to withdraw ride sharing services in Karnataka Karnataka transport commissioner?s move to deem the ride sharing services illegal is likely to impact businesses of both Ola and Uber ------------------------------ Sayan Chakraborty & Sharan PoovannA Sharan Poovanna B*engaluru: *Ola and Uber may have to stop ride-sharing services in Karnataka after the state transport commissioner deemed them to be illegal. The move is likely to impact businesses of both Ola and Uber, given that Bengaluru, the Karnataka capital, is one of their top three markets alongside Delhi and Mumbai. According to the state transport department, ride hailing services have contract carriage permits, which do not allow them to pick up and drop passengers during the course of the ride. Such a permit only allows for point-to-point pick-ups and drops. The stage carriage permit, which allows pick-ups and drop-offs along a particular route, can only be accorded to Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corp. ?Ride sharing is not possible because they have contract carriage permit, which is for point-to-point drops and not picking up customers in between,? said M.K. Aiyappa, state transport commissioner. Aiyappa conveyed the message to drivers and representatives of the ride hailing services at a meeting on Wednesday, called to address grievances of drivers who have been protesting reduced incentives offered by Ola and Uber which they claim have hit their livelihood. The transport commissioner said another meeting with drivers and representatives of Ola and Uber will be held on Monday, following which a decision on the fate of ride sharing services will be taken. ?We believe UberPOOL is clearly within the law. We will continue to engage with the transport department and Karnataka government as ridesharing products like uberPOOL are the future of urban mobility, helping decongest cities by getting more people into fewer cars and letting riders move around their city more affordably. With the cost of shared rides upto 50% less than traveling solo, response to uberPOOL in Bangalore has been phenomenal. More than 25% of our total trips in the city are POOL trips,? an Uber spokesperson said in an email response. Ola did not respond to an email seeking comment. The state transport department had forced shuttle service provider ZipGo to halt operations in Bengaluru in December 2015 on similar grounds. The regulator said there is no provision in the Karnataka Motor Vehicle Rules of 1989 for services that compete with state-run city buses. Similarly, bike taxis launched by Ola and Uber were deemed illegal by the Karnataka government. Both companies withdrew services within a month of launch in March 2016. SoftBank-backed Ola (ANI Technologies Pvt. Ltd) and Uber Technologies Inc. have struggled to comply with regulations, which the companies have contended need to be updated to accommodate new-age products. Both companies have drawn flak from the regulators over various issues, especially surge pricing, whereby these companies charge consumers multiples of the actual fare when demand exceeds supply. States such as Maharashtra and Karnataka, among others, have come up with guidelines to regulate these services after protests by traditional taxi operators. For instance, the Karnataka government notified the Karnataka On-demand Transportation Technology Aggregator Rules 2016 on 2 April which, among other things, made it mandatory for ride-hailing services to get a permit before operating in the state. Uber dragged the government to the courts, questioning its authority to frame such rules. Rival Ola got a licence in June. Uber also objected to some clauses in the Maharashtra City Taxi Rules 2016, released by the state government on 15 October, saying the rules will make operations expensive and hurt the quality of service. Sayan Chakraborty & Sharan PoovannA Sharan Poovanna From yanivbin at gmail.com Fri Jan 27 12:27:58 2017 From: yanivbin at gmail.com (Vinay Baindur) Date: Fri, 27 Jan 2017 08:57:58 +0530 Subject: [sustran] Car-free roads, flyovers can't go together: Citizens Message-ID: http://www.deccanherald.com/content/592672/car-free-roads-flyovers-cant.html Car-free roads, flyovers can't go together: Citizens Bosky Khanna, Bengaluru, Jan 22, 2017, DHNS *The Revised Master Plan 2031 is now in the public domain. The public consultation process is currently underway, giving citizens, elected representatives and domain experts an opportunity to voice their views. A recurring question to the state government and Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) at all these events has been this: What is the realistic plan to decongest the city and improve its transport mechanism.* Over the last two weeks, BDA conducted five public consultation meetings where people from different sections of the society posed questions galore. They wanted to know the fate of the decade-old plan to build a Peripheral Ring Road, about Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP)?s failure to improve the city?s road infrastructure, about lack of development on the city?s outskirts. At the first meeting, Bommanahalli MLA, Satish Reddy, sought to know how the BDA was planning to develop the city in the absence of wide roads and parking spaces. According to Reddy, these two inadequacies were the prime cause for traffic jams in the city. People are forced to spend long hours in travelling from Bommanahalli to Ballari Road or even to Kanakapura Road, because the government has been unable to improve the Outer Ring Road. Sustainable transport options and costly infrastructure projects cannot go hand-in-hand. This came to the fore when BBMP corporator and member of Bengaluru Metropolitian Planning Authority, M Nagaraju, drew attention to the Master Plan?s thrust on elevated corridors. Such projects, he noted, cannot be realised when there are space constraints. The government should emphasise more on Metro rail and commuter rail. Citizens wondered how the BDA and government are on the one hand talking about car-free roads and on the other, building more flyovers. There is no co-ordination between departments. The need of the hour is a workable mass transport system. The state government and BMTC are planning to introduce more buses by 2031. But they pointed out, there is no space to accommodate the existing buses in the absence of bus bays and parking spaces. *Questions by public* What happened to Peripheral Ring Road project proposal, which has seen five chief ministers in the last 12 years? How many multi-level car parking areas has the city created? How many more are planned and where? Why is the government unable to widen major roads under TDR and FAR in so many years? The critical issue of rising air pollution due to vehicular emissions has also figured in many discussions. According to the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB), around 42 to 45% of city?s air pollution is contributed by the transport sector. Under Article 21 of the Constitution, the right to clean air and water is under threat. With increasing traffic congestion, it is bound to only worsen. The master plan has no solutions to offer on this front. Residents of South Bengaluru are particularly agitated with mixed development in most areas such as Jayanagar, Banashankari, Bannerghatta Road and Malleswaram, which has increased the traffic congestion. This, they attribute to improper planning. ?The government officials permitted converting residential to commercial areas, but they did not think of the traffic problems that came with it. Unless the present problems are sorted out, planning for the future should not be undertaken,? said Nitin Seshadri, former member of Koramanagala 3rd Block Residents Welfare Association. Residents of North Bengaluru are also not happy with the snail-paced development. Some of them opined that instead of undertaking big projects such as the controversial steel flyover, the government should stop construction of apartment and commercial complexes because the existing roads cannot take the load. The city, they were clear, cannot handle any more traffic and growth in population. ?The ideal solution is not to expand the city, but create townships and provide good commuter rail systems to the city,? said D S Rajashekhar, member of Citizen Action Forum.