Driving in Bangalore is an experience and once you have mastered the flow of traffic you can or one would say could almost fit into the main stream. Going from bicycles (with oil lamps and licences, which if you did not have on, you were hauled into the nearest Police Station or your air of your tyres let out, in my days Shoolay P.Stn. was quite active!!), hand-pulled rickshaws, horse carriages, jatka tongas, through cycle-rickshaws, to autorickshaws, ambassador taxies belching out diesel smoke, to gas run vehicles and fuel efficient motorbikes, gone are the days of 'vespas' and 'mopeds' , 'lambys' and 'jawas'. One may even spot a Ferrari gliding by today and a 1000cc Ninja revving up for short spurts to turn heads. The buses haven't really changed except for colour (red to blue, it is rumored that some psychologists had made out that the number of accidents that involving buses were caused by the aggressive red colour of the bus!!) and a few 'road-trains' in metallic navy blue. Of late one can spot a few buses that have been 'painted' as part of the 'Habba' adding to some colour to the city. Gone are the days when one could take a leisurely drive to Nandi Hill, Cubbon Park or Mysore in an old beat up Austin 6 of late "Mr. Longsworth", or even late "Miss 'G' Flannigan's" old 20's Dodge or was it a Chevy? (yes, the one used in the movie "Gandhi"), or be carried to one's final resting place in Snaize's old Dodge. (Today, one is carried in Toyota's!).

Today, there are lakhs or vehicles plying the roads of Bangalore, and everyone wants to go from "0 to 80" in 5 seconds flat as advertised!!! Ofcourse, one must move with the times, and more younger people can afford bikes and cars and all want to have the center of the road too! Comparative to Delhi, Bangalore drivers are less aggressive, but not as disciplined as Mumbai traffic, hence there are many accidents, some caused by foolish head strong riders, others by obstructions of bad roads and dug up footpaths, unnecessary center steel barriers that are not marked as most 'speed breakers' are not scientifically designed and appear erratically on a normally good traffic flowing road causing one to break and then get a 'butt' pushed in from the unsuspecting poor fellow at the back! Traffic lights work, and those that do are positioned at times very low and if you are at the back you will not be able to see when the light changes colour. Lights should be strung across the middle of the junctions so that uses can see them from a long or wider view. The timers need to be available for 'count down' both ways. Stopping traffic and causing traffic jams can be avoided if 'VIP's or officials' take another route apart from the main one during peak hours. This happens so often on Hosur Road, and one can be caught up for about an hour, because the lights are switched off and control is done manually with much whistle blowing and hand gesturing!! Be careful of vehicles that want to turn right at a junction habitually park themselves on your left and then when the lights start they cut right across your path ( they advertise 0 - 80 kmph in 5 seconds, and you should not be surprised when two wheeler riders try to prove this!!) causing you to brake, and you may even lose your tail light or get a nudge dent from some one behind because of your evasion of the person who cut across you way.

Some of the daily surprises one gets is that when you went down a certain road it was two way, suddenly its one way and you are then caught because you did not read the sign boards which sometimes have very confusing arrow markings. The other day I came across a report in the ' Deccan Herald ' and the 'Times of India' on " One-Ways in Koramangala " and it is quite confusing to the residents of Koramangala, leave alone visitors to that area who keep on going in ' squares' trying to find an address, O Yes!, I have been victim of trying to find a location in Koramangala!! Help!! the Newspaper dated 19th February 2004 , enlightens us to more 'One-Ways' introduced. Soon, one will have to think twice when one gets out of ones house, as your own road could have become one-way overnight and you wouldn't know it except through the newspapers, Thank God for Them!! Wonder if Radio City FM91 broadcast advance notice on these happenings? The one-way future looks very startling or is it bright? An Old Update: Beginning Sunday 30 November 2003, major roads around Raj Bhavan will be made one-way to smoothen traffic flow. Traffic movement on Raj Bhavan cross road has been reversed, allowing flow from Raj Bhavan road, Central Telegraph Office (CTO) circle to Basaveshwara circle. ( For your confusion, the Road Map! )
Every day there is a para to add on the changes of routes in Bangalore, which is fast becoming known as the 'One Way City'instead of 'Garden City', beautiful flower-bed traffic circles have been replaced by ugly barren tarred roads. There were two articles in TOI, 2 May, 2004 "One Way to Chaos" and "One-Way rule in force on Sheshadri road". Reading the latter, I am totally confused, and I would probably have to carry my compass to get back home!
Traffic on T.Chowdaiah road: Vehicles allowed from the High Grounds police station junction to Raj Bhavan Road.
Traffic on Ali Asker road: Traffic moves from Raj Bhavan circle to the Infantry Road junction.
Traffic on Infantry road: Vehicles allowed from the Ali Asker Road junction to the Queen's Road junction.
Traffic on Palace road: Vehicles can ply both ways from Basaveshwara circle to the High Grounds police station junction.
Vehicles coming from Race Course road towards Raj Bhavan Circle will have to take a detour at Basaveshwara circle, move through the High Grounds police station junction, T. Chowdaiah road and then join Raj Bhavan circle.  Vehicles can take a left onto Ali Asker road, Infantry Road and then move through Coffee Board circle to join Queen's Road and CTO circle.
One-way will also be introduced from CTO circle where vehicles will ply on Raj Bhavan Road, police Thimmaiah Circle, Raj Bhavan Circle and then take left onto Raj Bhavan Cross Road (behind Legislators' Home), Basaveshwara Circle and then join Race Course Road and High Grounds circle.  Parking of vehicles has been banned on both sides of Infantry Road from Ali Asker Road junction to Queen's Road junction. Check out a new 'One-Way' Note: Times Reports on it!
February 29, 2004 had a lot of surprises for the frantic motorist heading to the airport on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday added to the woe of the shoppers and school children. Pick-up vans could not come to pick them up from the school, shoppers could not reach except by a long detour. The reason is this "One-Way Ticket!!" .

Welcome to Bangalore, 'The City of Fly-Overs'! or would it soon be the 'City to Fly Over'!! Then there are the '' (some even had a few users actually 'fly-over', don't ask me how they managed it! Reminds me of 'Fly Me to the Moon'!!) that have become very popular with the Authorities of Bangalore, and every cross road that gets a little frustrated traffic needs to have one (little is thought about what caused the traffic increase at that particular junction, the lame excuse is increase number of vehicles on the roads, but I say it's the wrong use of 'one-ways' that cause this, because people try to avoid those nuisances and all want to have the freedom of the roads!) One such road cross is Brigade Road - Hosur Road- Richmond Road, and I wrote a letter to the various editors for their kind publication, but I don't know if it was ever published. I will be writing another one on the Anti-Pedestrian Crossing for children at the Residency - Museum Road (Prof. Asirvadam Circle) Junction, where the traffic light remains on for 3 to 5 seconds and then changes not allowing the hundred of school going children a safe passage, the policeman gives a blind eye and encourages the 'free-left' from Museum Road onto Residency Road.

  Let the People Have Their Say! . A sector of the Indiranagar - Domlur 'fly-over' that connects the Airport Road to Indiranagar 100' Road was opened on 20 March 2004. This is the Report from Times of India, claimed to be India's No.1 Newspaper!! Congrats TOI! There are many interesting articles in TOI regarding Bangalore's "Fly-Overs' and I thought I would take the liberty to share them with you: ' Too many flyovers? ' ,  'BCC bonanza: Flyovers at every step ' ,  'Infrastructure projects in place ' , 'BCC's Future City Project ' ,  and as we are on the topic of 'building' around Bangalore, an expert voices his opinion on the 'damaged water resources ' of Bangalore caused by 'rampant construction', something I have been crying hoarse for the last 7 years, but then, I am no expert, perhaps one should listen to an expert to save Bangalore !! Ok!, Let's get back to driving Miss. Daisy around Bangalore!!

Basically, in the past, Bangalore roads were safe, but then, these days it's not that simple. We have faster vehicles, more vehicles, more one-ways, more dividers and medians, and above all more people on the roads that somehow do not have a clue on the rules of the road. People over take from the left, some keep to the left and then suddenly take a right turn across your path and some go left when they have to go right, leaving you screeching to a halt and then getting abused from those behind. Then there are the empty autorickshaws that amble along on a fast flowing traffic lane that slows everyone down, and then they are in the middle of two lanes so you are not sure if you have to break the rules and over take from the left to go ahead or overtake from the right and meet unexpected traffic crossing the 'double yellow lines' (a drive on Hosur road in the morning and evening will season you or add you to the cemeteries down the road!).

Added to this, are the various Departments ( Sewage, Telephone, Electric, Water, Drainage, etc.) and Cable Companies that have been competing with each other on who does a better job of screwing up the roads and claiming more victims. There is no law that is in effect that  these people can be taken and sued for negligence because of their carelessness, indifference and above all no responsibility to worry about. The 'buck' keeps passing. It appears that some of this is changing with many of the 'Departments' going 'Private', let's Pray that it happens sooner.  Footpaths are laid, granite stones are chiseled, and leveled out, but then a few months later, somebody needs to make a mark, a budget needs to be used up, and so the neatly payments give way to again digging and and new concept of jig-saw bricks are being laid into the footpath. Interestingly, when this new and attractive footpath reaches a drain or a manhole, then it just rises up right in the middle of the path and one has to be careful not ot trip over these protrusions. Ha! again the lot of diggers come around and the cycle is repeated for some other 'Cable Guy' to dig up. I was writing a song on Bangalore, and the only thing that  was coming up in my head were the words of the chorus 'If you want to come to Bangalore you've got to dig, dig, dig'!, If you want to stay in Bangalore you've got to dig, dig, dig'!

Bangalore was once famous for it's tree-lined avenues, and it is sometimes a joy riding through these roads which are becoming so scarce. The trees are either chopped down for 'fly-overs' or the 'diggers' do a good job of loosening the soil around their roots so that one fine day the tree just falls down and dies, there are hardly any lives lost by the trees falling only vehicles seem to be affected, maybe the trees still have a soft spot for mankind!! Going back to the pleasant ride, one is suddenly jolted into reality by the extrusion in the middle of a flat stretch of road by a 'hump'. One can fall of one's bike or scooter or a car can break an axle, as these are not marked, and the wisdom of having a so called ' speed breakers' in the middle of a good stretch really could stretch one's imagination and question the Wisdom of Solomon. Perhaps there is a 'league' that is in cahoots with the 'bone-setters', 'orthopedic' hospitals or even 'mental asylums' and 'undertakers', so that a regular stream of clients and patients could go there, because nobody who is in his right mind would ever place the 'speed breakers' as they are placed today. With no warning boards, no painting, no lights, and it appears that when they want to do so, everyone in the neighborhood joins in to create more of them as one drives along, take the 'indoor-stadium' road in Koramangala, there is no need for so many speed breakers, the 'drain-humps' are enough to slow down the traffic and that is aided by the constant digging by the sewage Department that has seen the length from Sarjapur Road and coming now to Viveknagar and back again!. Here is a result from such wisdom . The stretch of Sarjapur Road which joins the ORR (Outer Ring Road) has a few unmarked hugh 'humps' in the middle of a perfect stretch. If the vehicles are needed to be slowed down, then graded 'rumble strips' would have been a better option.
If you are looking for the Traffic Commissioner's Office, or the YWCA, you are sure to be lost. No!, you are on the right road, you have not taken a wrong turn, only it's the wrong name! Don't be confused, it's just the normal way people in 'places' work in Bangalore, bungling Bangalore, and changing her history and ambiance. As Greg Lake of King Crimson or is it ELP?, I'm confused, sings 'Confusion! is my Epitaph'. Ours not to reason why, but to do and die! This is why, Oh! my!! .

A clipping that is useful for all. Emergency Services .

We have a good one for the users of roads. I am not sure if this is a joke or is the person who made this statement seriously impaired, in thought, word and deed (well, one may honestly say that there is also some truth in some of the statements, only a road user will understand)!! Can you imagine the Philippines without the decorated Auto-cabs? Can you imagine Venice without  river boats? Can you imagine London without the red double-deckers? Can you imagine New York without Cabs and Skyscrapers? Why go far, can you imagine Mumbai (Bombay) without suburban trains? Can you imagine Kerala without backwater boats? Can you imagine Bangalore without it's Way of Life?!! . Money, Money, Money, It's a Rich man's World! ABBA sang so much in the near past! One doesn't even have to go as far back as the time of John The Baptist.  Some of our local newspapers have brought out some very interesting and good writeups on the situation, and I have taken the liberty of using some of these, my apologies to them in the broader interest of visitors to Bangalore.

Well, every day we are greeted by surprises, from a quiet 'Garden City' called 'Pensioner's Paradise', to an aggressive chaotic cacophonic catastrophe!! Brigade Road is getting Parking meters. One wonders how many parking meters would it take to park one car for each shop, since the cost of the Parking Meter is quite exuberant, and also these meters are being plugged in the narrow pedestrian pathway, forget about 'zebra crossings' they are for Africa!! (an interesting article in TOI, 21 April 2004)'The City isn't Pedestrian-friendly'. 'The Pedestrian is a Second Class Citizen' , (Let me see if anyone deny this statement, the next class above are the 2-wheelers, Police mostly stop them and tow them away leaving the errant cars and buses alone!) if you see the way the traffic is directed, with a free use of 'free left turn', this does not make sense; but then, it's not one's intention to figure it out when the 'accident rate chart' are flouted. People who make rules have never tried to cross a road on foot, they only sit in cars or jeeps and watch the world go by. How can a human being with a sane mind expect another human being to defy death by his or her whim and fancy? When a green light is given for the Pedestrian, the vehicular traffic is also given a green light to cross this line? Zeb ra Cross ings? People have not seen zebras what do they understand, and how can we blame them? Perhaps we should refer to them as 'Tiger' or 'Leopard' or 'Cheetah' Crossings. As on date 3 March 2004, I will change my name and salute the person who can tell me it is safe to cross from Museum Road across the crossing to the other side of Museum Road!! (as an example), if you are little bolder, then try Brigade Road, that is if you are not already bruised and on your way to Hosmat!!!! A jolting article in the TOI 28 March 2004, called ' Road to perdition: walk at your own risk ' makes interesting reading!! At last someone is talking. Talk about 'Traffic Education and Safety Trust (TEST), You got to be joking!!! There was an article on 27 March 2004, which spoke of Hosur Road - Sarjapur Road Junction . This road is not only a 'death knell' for those trying to cross it, but also for traffic trying to cross from Sarjapur Road to Hosur Road. Hosur Road is linked to so many deaths, and the fact that there are around 'eight cemeteries' linked or on it makes the road even more scary ( perhaps there may be many ghosts hovering on the road ... any one has ghost stories to be added for Bangalore? When we were small, Richmond Road did promote a few coincidences, must try and collate.), that I even planned to write a song called 'Hosur Highway' or  'Highway to Hell!'.

These days (as on 3rd March 2004) care should be taken when driving along the 'Indoor Stadium' road, besides the speed breakers, one can innocently get bogged down in the soft unsuspecting mud covering the side is the road. This is the courtesy left behind by the 'powers that be', who dug up the road to lay some sewage pipes and haven't finished the job of asphalting the road. A trip on this road will daily find a truck stuck in the soft mud, what if it's a life lost? With the International Insurance Companies flocking to Bangalore, do they also bring with them their overseas offerings of  'suing' talents and 'coverages'? I wonder, or is it just plain 'Vitamin M'?.

If you are riding on a 2-wheeler or in a car with your right arm resting on the window, beware of the 'red snow'. What am I trying to say? Never heard of this? 'Sorry Mate'! as the Aussies would say, it's the traditional habit of passengers in busses to spit their 'pan masala' or 'beetle nut' through the windows not caring on who may be travelling besides the bus. This occurs at traffic junctions or when the buses go past you and the offender knows that you are too rushed to give a chase, but then what can you do? Fight the whole bus load? Sometimes it could be worse than pan! This habit has to stop and fines like Singapore (Oh Yes, they want to compare Bangalore to Singapore, and many a 'fact-finding trip' has been made to 'study' the 'system', let's talk about more realistic options) should be put in place or legislation made to prevent such occurrences, and definitely Bangalore will get to be a better and cleaner city. Like 'smoking' being banned in public places and vehicles, so also should be the chewing of tobacco, beetle nut and pan.

Why are fly-overs not being used at full capacity? Is it because they do not have proper exits? Or because they are prepared perhaps with 'blinkers'? Are people 'diverting' before reaching the flyover? Taking side roads and crowding them up, and then creating another 'need' for another flyover? Flyovers and underpasses are very useful, but by the time they are completed, the vehicular stream has already formed another 'by-pass' route making them redundant. Are the flyovers at the Bangalore Dairy Circle and Lingapuram taking too long to build? Any opinions, please mail me on this .

• [Subject: Traffic Jams - Can they be avoided? From: Ronnie Johnson < ronniejohnson@ > Date: Tue., 10 Feb. 2004 17:38:50 +053 To: *.* (All leading Newspapers of Bangalore!)
• MG Road, None too safe for driving? A Report from The Hindu!

Dear Editor,
As a user of the roads of Bangalore I have had the pleasure of encountering the daily ritual of 'Traffic Jams' , especially at the junction of Shoolay Circle (Richmond Road - Brigade Road - Hosur Road) and opposite to the Senior Police Officers' Quarters. In the morning and evening it takes one about 15 minutes minimum for one round of traffic to pass through as the traffic lights are switched off, and manual control is in action. Observing the flow of traffic, most of the traffic is a cross between Hosur Road and Richmond Road (South to East), and Brigade Road and Hosur Road (North to South), and  Richmond Road (West to East both ways). The traffic from Hosur Road - Brigade Road (South to North) is lighter at all times. Observing the road width of Brigade Road, one finds that the Western side of the road is wider than the Eastern side because of the trees that are in the flow on the Eastern side.  Could it be possible that the Brigade Road divider be slightly shifted West to accommodate more traffic on the East and allow better clearance? The timing of the Museum Road Residency Road (Prof. Asirvadam Circle) junction lights should synchronize with the Shoolay Circle lights, because the traffic back flows from Brigade Road and Museum Road, blocking traffic entrance and exits to Castle Street and Wood streets which have traffic flowing from Richmond Road and Mother Teresa Road. Forcing the traffic from Magrath Road to go left on Brigade Road also blocks up the circle at the old Shoolay Police Station Circle.

Also that the heavy dividers on Richmond Road and Brigade Road  be changed from the present steel rails to rubberized flexible pegs that can be found on Raj Bhavan road. This will help save lives and also space, because vehicles keep a safe distance from the present rails as some of the steel bars and adverts could be protruding and a foot or two is lost by this fear. Another serious point is that many an ambulance and fire engine is caught in the traffic and there is no way for then to cross into the free lane on the other side of the road and take the patient to hospital in time or put out a fire that spreads because of the 'jam'.  Wonder if someone can seriously look at this daily mess . ]

• One-ways in Koramangala, Times Of India and Deccan Herald, Tuesday, February 17, 2004
• Bangalore: The traffic police will implement one-ways ad parking restrictions on some roads in Koramangala from February 28, on an experimental basis for one month.
• Vehicles won't be allowed on Koramangala 1st Cross from Koramangala 89 feet road to Microland junction.
• Vehicles on 1st Cross from 80 feet road to Sukh Sagar 100 feet road junction will continue till Munireddy Kalyan Mantrap junction, take right to 5th Cross (60 feet road) and join 100 feet road at Canara Bank junction.
• Vehicles on 5th Cross from 100 feet road towards 80 feet road won't be allowed till Canara Bank junction. Instead, vehicles will ply on 100 feet road and at New Sukh Sagar junction will take a right to 1st Cross (Edaneeru Mutt Road).
• No heavy transport to cross roads from 1st to 5th Cross in Koramangala 5th Block.
• Parking arrangements made on alternative days on either side from 60 feet road UCO Bank junction to Police Station. [Return back ]
• One-ways in the City (Town Hall, JC Road), Times of India, Thursday, February 19, 2004
• Bangalore: The new routes that one has to take!! [Return Back ]