Has Bangalore thought about this?
I am from Bombay, and the two things that I have found to be missing in my rendezvous with Bangalore are, in my opinion as an architect, major reasons for the issues with traffic, and a solution to most anti-outsiders viewpoints that have been shared to me by most of the Uber drivers I have spoken to in this city.
Bombay does two things differently.
Let us take a closer look at what follows at rush hours.
In Bombay, the way the city moves usually takes care of most traffic problems.
When people leave from offices, the traffic is divided in a vast numbers into two major segments.
Most people opt for the local trains.
If you are a Bangalorean then this should translate as public transport.
The rest of the crowd take to the roads, and use the Western Express Highway.
Please don’t read this article, and build a fucking huge highway inside Bangalore.
You don’t have the space for any expansion.
Means of transport are one of the means to tackle rush hour traffic.
But hey, Bombay does it because the British already did it for them.
I want you to focus your attention on the second thing.
Bombay has a particular case of what I call the seaside effect.
Because there is a seaside available in vast lengths for most of the citizens.
They have spaces like Marine Drive, and the Bandra Promenade, and well that’s all they need.
- You don’t have that in Bangalore.
I am not talking about the sea.
I am talking about 24x7 open, safe, public spaces for all.
This can change your entire city in one smart move.
Here’s how it helps.
When people leave from office, at say 7pm.
Most people, especially those with families head for home.
The rest, usually the younger generations, head for Marine Drive?-?If you are a Bangalorean, read this as the kind of public space I wrote about above.
Not everyone goes to Marine Drive everyday, but you get the point the population of office goers is split into two groups “home going”, and “chilling”.
What happens is that the pressure on the traffic is now split.
- Some citizens in Bombay have a tendency of leaving late from work because the traffic is lesser.
These people either work hard, and drive a Porsche around on New Year’s Eve, or they go look at the sea, and do life talks.
Talk about the sort of controversial debate on the anti-immigrant view shared by Bangalore Uber drivers? Here’s what I see.
I understand that Bangalore is more open to social drinking, at least when compared to my circles in Bombay.
Most of the pro or anti western culture talk that the Uber local drivers gave me are just a matter of perspective.
I think they are the locals so we should all respect their cultures.
My point here is simple people tend to drink indoors more than outdoors.
Because as an immigrant, I will explore my human nature to the best possible opportunities.
This is true for anyone, anywhere.
People tell strangers their deepest secrets, and fears.
And people are more comfortable in risking it out on anything but their home turfs.
- So if you light up your parks, and keep them public, most of the nuisance that these drivers keep talking to me about, are out of the window.
That’s how people are.
People will be what people have always been that’s people.
What you can learn is this! Bangalore does not need wider roads, because they have no space for it, or matter of fact, I think spending taxpayers money on road widening is wasteful when you can (here’s a solution),
- Build a public space, or redesign Cubbon Park (or any other space that can be walking distance from your business districts) to make it as safe as Marine Drive.
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The standard is that; if you go to sleep with your belongings open on Marine Drive, like flat down on the Promenade, no one will rob you that safe.
We don’t mess up on Marine Drive.
Marine Drive is sacred.
So give one public space to Bangalore, and it shall reduce traffic.
It shall give people a space to mingle, and understand each other.
It shall facilitate cultural infusion.
This shall give you a healthier society in most respects.
If you are serious about these things, then two more examples would be The High Line Project, and Central Park, New York would increase the acceptance of this idea by some folds.
Since if small roads are a problem then bigger roads is not the answer.
- Back to Anthology.