Good morning, Bengaluru!
⛅ Today’s weather: Sunny with the possibility of rain in the afternoon.
🧐 Did you know? The city’s Jayanagar neighbourhood was the country’s first planned neighbourhood. It was built in 1948 by the City Improvement Trust Board (CIMTB).
🚸 Pelican crossing shortcomings
Activists have raised concerns about design issues and lack of awareness concerning pelican crossings.
What’s it about? As the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) rolls out the pelican crossings across all zones on a pilot basis, some activists are concerned about inherent design flaws and a lack of awareness among motorists.
- One feature is a button attached to the traffic signal that turns it red for 20 seconds to allow pedestrians to cross. The design flaw is that the switch should be at eye level, but here it’s above. The traffic lights are also high, making it difficult for drivers.
- Some say these crossings are only needed in locations with heavy traffic. Drivers may not be aware and pedestrian safety could be at risk. A better alternative would be High-Rise Pedestrian Crossings (HRPCs).
Pelican crossing rollout: Currently, 40-45 have been installed, of which 31 are fully operational. Some are in Richmond Road, BHEL Road, Rajajinagar, Mahadevapura, and parts of Kanakapura Road. They’re made in India and each costs ₹5 lakh.
🤝 Brand Bengaluru Conclave
A couple of days ahead of the conclave, the BBMP released the Brand Bengaluru logo.
What’s it about? The Brand Bengaluru Conclave is a platform to discuss and debate ideas for possible solutions to the city’s civic issues like traffic, pollution, and water availability. The conclave will be held today.
- Those attending the conclave will bring their ideas to help develop the city’s infrastructure, healthcare, and education. The attendees are expected to be MLAs, MPs, retired IAS and IPS officers and various government officials.
- The Brand Bengaluru prioritises urban planning, efficient transport systems, pedestrian-friendly roads, citizen safety, and smart traffic management. There’ll also be a focus on sustainability and green spaces.
Eight focus areas: The Brand Bengaluru will focus on eight areas – Transportable Bengaluru, Green Bengaluru, Swachh Bengaluru, People-friendly Bengaluru, Healthy Bengaluru, Tech Bengaluru, Water Security Bengaluru, and Educational Bengaluru.
🚇 Tunnels but not metro
The state government is funding car-intensive projects but has been slow in implementing metro projects.
What’s it about? Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar announced calls for tenders to build tunnel roads. Consultants will also work on a plan to decongest traffic in the city. However, there seems to be no hurry in implementing two metro projects.
- The metro lines are the 44-km phase 3 from West of ORR JP Nagar 4th phase to Hebbal, and Hosahalli to Kadabagere and the 37-km stretch connecting Hebbal and Sarajpur Road through the city’s core. Supposed to be ready by 2028, it’s awaiting the Centre’s approval.
- One phase is caught in red tape. The other 37-km stretch is still on paper. The Bengaluru Metro has yet to submit the Detailed Project Report (DPR) to the state government.
Comprehensive mobility plan: The plan has promised a metro network of 317 km in the city by 2031. So far, only 172 km of the metro is under construction or operational.
🌳 Transit options at a cost
Efforts to decongest the city’s roads with multiple transit options could come at the cost of its green cover.
What’s it about? To ease traffic bottlenecks in the tech corridors and provide transit options like the suburban rail project could result in over 2,000 trees being cut in the northern parts of the city for corridor 4 from Ambedkar Nagar to Muddanahalli Cross.
- The Rail Infrastructure Development Company has submitted a proposal to the BBMP, which sought objections from the public on the axing of over 2,000 trees. The proposal stated some trees are on government land and the remaining are on private property.
- The survey to cut trees was done 2 years ago. So far, 226 trees have already been cut, most of them between Chennasandra and Muddanahalli stations.
Tree species: Corridor 4 will pass through Carmelaram, Bellandur, Marathahalli, and other places. Of the listed tree species, over 30% are eucalyptus. Others include mango, neem, mahogany, jackfruit, and other fruit-bearing native species.
📊 Today’s Poll
(Only subscribers can participate in the polls)
Have you been to the new Terminal 2 at the airport?
- I have been to the new Terminal 2 at the airport.
- I haven’t been to the new Terminal 2 at the airport.
❓ Today’s Question
(Only subscribers can submit their answers)
What area of the city do you think needs a metro line?
Reply to this email with your answers.
🗞️ In other news…
- Kaverappa residents deal with the long-standing issue of continual sewage overflow.
- Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar is confident that the ORR stretch will be decongested in 3 months.
- A private agency will be brought in by the BMMP to remove illegal ads in the Yelahanka zone.
- A survey of senior citizens showed nearly 19% in rural areas of Bengaluru reported abuse.
- Monkey Bar relaunches in the city with a revamped look after it shut down in 2019.
That’s it for today. Have a great day!