Arrogant Money

A lot of the old world money is humble. It has worked hard for it. It is generous, large hearted.

A lot of the new money is arrogant, with a massive sense of entitlement. Its got it a little easier than it ever imagined, and needs to put on a display of inflated self worth. Its also more money minded and usually not big hearted. Its more suspicious of motives, others and believes in exclusivity and existing in islands.

Chennai, By Bike!

Nopes, I did not go cycling all 350 kms! But have stumbled upon a wonderful way of getting around when visiting different places for meetings, family trips or just plan going seeing them.

I needed to travel to Chennai for a short meeting yesterday. The plan was to catch an overnight Volvo, find a place to shower/change, wrap up the meeting and take an afternoon bus back again. The meeting was someplace in Thoraipakkam, about 20kms or so from the centre of Chennai. The dreadful tales people recount when they speak of Chennai's infamous autokaarans were enough to make me, very obviously non-native, very very nervous. Cabs would be very expensive. And given the paucity of time, figuring out buses and shared-autos was not a viable solution.

An then, just a few hours before I left, it occurred to me that I could take a bike along! 20kms is hardly anything esp given Chennai's flatness. Yes, there was the weather to contend with - but I'd be getting there early in the morning, had access to a guest house for a few hours and was planning to shower anyhow. A little extra sweat is hardly a deterrent for a biker.

Next, what bike? My Merida would be the most familiar, but a little large - and the bus guys end up (unfairly) charging for it. I remembered Ravi's bike rental venture - and found theBTwin Hoptown at 200/- a day over weekdays. Perfect!

The BTwin Folder awaiting the Volvo

The bus dropped me off near Chennai Central - and it was actually quite pleasant in the morning! I'd been told autos would take 40-60 minutes to get to my destination depending on traffic. I got there in 50mins, despite many stops to ask for directions (btw, Google maps + GPS on Android helps a lot!) Without pushing at all since I was trying to sweat as little as possible. Saw a lot more of Chennai than I ever have, and got a good morning workout without no extra time spent. And its great to have endorphins and positive energy in your system before a meeting.

One curious thing : everyone I asked for directions - even 5-6 kms before the destination - first started with telling me "oh but thats faaar" (I do follow a little Tamil so could get this much even from the vernacular interactions) Its surprising how the notion of distances has changed in our cities, and how difficult people think cycling is.

Got in, showered, had a good meeting (or it seemed like that given my happy state) and got out of there. Fortunately, all morning had some cloud cover - but it got sunny on the ride out to Koyambedu, from where all the buses leave. I was advised to take an alternative, though slightly longer route by one of my biker friends in Chennai so encountered little traffic till I got into Guindy. Upto that point, the air itself never felt hot (unlike in the heat of the northern plains) though the sun was strong. Sunglasses helped, but I never got too uncomfortable.

Similar story with the bus guys on the way back. This time, a bunch of fellow passengers got excited about the bike as well - a couple even test rode it around there as we waited for the bus. Had a bus change owing to an issue with a brand new Isuzu and got a comfortable, but slow sleeper. Got to Silk Board at 11ish, and unfolded - with excited auto guys helping out - and rode back home.

The folding bicycle is a terrific tool. Benefits :

• Its easy to put into a bus, and takes up as much space as a large suitcase, and is lighter too! Obviously the bus guys charged me nothing for it when I just said "my luggage" and handed it over :)
• Its a major conversation starter! The bus guys were only to happy help load it. Everyone wanted to know more. Even the auto guys at Silk Board (on the way back), instead of being disappointed about the loss of business, atually tried helping out unfolding it! (Not that you need help - it takes just a couple of minutes and is a breeze).
• Its pretty fast for city traffic - despite smaller wheels. The gear ratios are different from your regular MTB, and changes are quick and easy.

If you need to make outstation trips, this is a good way to carry your own transport along! Mumbai might be a little too large if you have to travel a lot for meetings, but for most cities, this is a great option.

Otoh, if you're travelling into Bangalore - give Ravi a buzz and get a bike delivered at your doorstep for the duration of your visit. Freedom from autowallahs, the ability to go-anywhere, and getting to know the city much better are huge payoffs. And you're getting your dose of exercise even when you travel.

As you might have noticed, am totally smitten with the idea. Both, of the folder itself, as well as the idea of carrying it around when travelling!

The Tour Of Nilgiris Edition 3 : Riding again

3 out of 3 on an MTB :)

Am riding the now-very-huge Tour of Nilgiris this year as well, and on the same old bike thats seen 2 TFNs already. The routes a lot different, and the Tour will have a 100 riders on it! Have not trained too hard, but a recent weekend of back-to-back centuries with 250kms covered over 2 days in ok shape give a lot of hope.

The first day is a 185km one, though! Traffic free roads, but a real long day nevertheless.

Looking forward to spending more time riding in the Nilgiris themselves this year. And more, and longer sections through the wildlife parks. The 2010 edition is a more backroads Tour than ever before - and there are hardly any major highways.

As usual, hoping to meet a lot of enthu souls on the ride. The camaraderie on the mailing list has been amazing. Itching for the ride to start...

Total Mall's Drop (Bus) Service

Pretty good move! Total Mall on Sarjapura Road has started a bus service to drop people who shop there to their doorstep. The map attached shows the apartment complexes the service is available for. No more need to take your car, and no autowallah headaches. All they need to add is a pickup service at a fee thats redeemable at the Mall.

Road Widening and Homeowner Pains

The BBMP has marked 216 roads for widening.

As someone has tweeted recently, widening roads for increasing traffic is akin to loosening one's belt as a solution for obesity.

How long will this help ? Wider roads - smoother traffic for a while - encourages more to drive - back to square one! A year's benefit, at most ? The sprawl problems in city after city have proven beyond doubt that merely wider roads are no solution for traffic issues. To make people lose their homes, land, etc permanently for a short term gain is extremely duh. Especially when done by an authority which has not shown that its solutions have actually improved traffic sustainably in any part of town. the Silk Board, Bannerghata Circle, Nimhans stretch - all are as bad as ever. Traffic has a way of catching up real quick. Without demonstrating a more wholesome plan for a long term traffic management solution, its downright horrible to destroy homes etc. 

There's another point to the whole story. Even if widening work does happen, it should not be done for private transport. The extra space needs to be marked for public transport, pedestrians and cyclists. There are many stretches - Haralur Road where we live being one such - where walking is a nightmare, and there is a proposal to make it wider so vehicles can zip even faster. Its a recipe for more pedestrian fatalities in the imminent future.

My home is not impacted by this TDR mess, but I fully intend to lend my voice and support to those who're protesting this. BBMP, grow up and think of solutions. You cannot fight cancer using band aids, and certainly not band aids that help the growth of that cancer itself!

Posted via email from bangalorekaapi

The coming water disaster

Water and a City : Saw this film yesterday. Its full of facts and insights of this everyday need that make you sit up and think hard.

Update: Water And A City's blog is here

Scary how we behave like mere consumers with a sense of entitlement towards "Cauvery Water" - like its unlimited, and meant purely for our own consumption. The notion of responsibility, sharing and controlled usage does not enter our heads. We've been gifted with numerous lakes, which we've killed. We've managed to lose a complete river with our greed and short sightedness. And yet we do not learn. Its a problem that needs a demand side fix as much as it needs a supply side one.

The Catskill Mountains near New York are the primary catchment area for its water supply. New York has consciously taken to acquiring large tracts of land up there for natural preservation of the region, and in turn its water needs! Recently, they've demonstrated that even financially, the long terms benefits of this move have outweighed the costs they would have paid for the water related issues they would've faced without this. Can we do this in Coorg and Wayanad before we clamour for a larger share of the Cauvery ? Can we first ensure the health of what we've been gifted with, and demonstrate that we actually deserve these ?

If you see the movie, it explains in great detail how those who use water the most pay the least for it. Those without access to BWSSB water end up paying nearly 300 per kilolitre! Even tanker water is at 50/- pe kl and BWSSB supply starts at 6/-, ridiculously lower than the 35/- per kl that it costs to pump it up from 100 kms away, with almost a 500m ascent up to Bangalore! Unless we pay more for it, and more equitably, there's little likelihood of us learning to conserve it, recycle it, and make the best use of rainwater etc.

Groundwater, which Bangalore uses at a ferocious rate to meet more than half its demand, is under even more strain. Its a 'historic' resource, since the deeper you go, the 'older' the water thats percolated in. Its critical that we not only appreciate these differences, but pay much much more for more historical water, and make as hard an attempt as we can to replenish it as we draw water from the shallower aquifers themselves.

We may soon get real broadband at affordable rates. We're already benefiting from the telecom revolution. But basic stuff like water - thats in our own hands. Its a hard hitting movie - try getting a copy and watching it. Really scary.

Posted via email from bangalorekaapi

Train timings at Carmelaram Railway Station

Posting a mail I received - this can become a major commute option for people living around Sarjapura Road.

Train timings at carmelaram railway station: Trains going towards salem : train no 2677  intercity exp                            6 46 am             6232 mysore mayiladuthurai exp      19 42 hrs             6732 mysore tuticorin exp                21 59 hours             6527  Yeshwantpur cannanore exp   20 44 hrs (wed and sat)             572  bangalore salem passenger       7 54 hrs                     yeshwantpur salem pasnger    17 00 hrs                     bangalore dharmapuri              19 13 hrs   Trains going  towards bangalore city, yeshwanthpur,mysore, train no  2677  intercity                                            18 47 hrs              mayiladuthurai - mysore exp                        04 30 hrs              Tuticorin/ mysore exp                                  0515 hrs              cannore yeshwanthpur                                 05 46 hrs ( mon wed sat)              Dharmapuri bangalore                                  07 09 hrs              salem  yeshwanthpur exp                             09 05 hrs              salem bangalore exp                                   17 11 hrs it is better to call the railway station for the exact timings for the day the  station num is 28441615 However the express trains are stopping on trial basis only, if the passenger usage is not as per expected levels they would discontinue these stops, request all to use this service and make this service a regular one. If you live in the vicinity, do explore this. Its gotta be faster than anything else!

Posted via email from bangalorekaapi

BMTC services on from Koramangala to Electronic City

Update: created the schedules for 341H and 341Q

Got this via Forward150:

Good Morning! Another feather added to the Forward150 cap.

Our active members again successfully negotiated with BMTC CTMO for the following feeder services. These services are exclusively run upon request from Forward150.

341 H - St John's Hospital to Electronics City via Haralur Road & return
341 Q - St John's Hospital to Electronics City via Hosa Road (Jail Road) & return

I request you to forward this information to all the residents in your locality and spread awareness to make use of these services.

Let us be proud to use public bus services and reduce pollution.

Our active members again successfully negotiated with BMTC CTMO for the following feeder services. These services are exclusively run upon request from Forward150.

341 H - St John's Hospital to Electronics City via Haralur Road & return

341 Q - St John's Hospital to Electronics City via Hosa Road (Jail Road) & return

I request you to forward this information to all the residents in your locality and spread awareness to make use of these services.

Let us be proud to use public bus services and reduce pollution.

This is awesome - the entire set of people here can now get buses to most places in the City - via St. Johns - even without going to Sarjapura Road. The PDF schedules were attached and there's a bus every 20-40 mins on each route - and together (through slightly different routes thats every 20 mins for sure!).

Thanks BMTC, and thanks Forward 150.

Posted via email from bangalorekaapi

Bangalore's Bus Day Tomorrow

Its Bus Day in Bangalore tomorrow and everyone's encouraged to keep off private transport for a day. Even a fraction of the 35+ Lakh private vehicles staying at home will make a huge difference! Pretty awesome.

However, I have one fear. Often, these well intentioned one off events do little for the cause, and in fact might have the opposite effect. The bus services have grown manifold - indeed their growth has far outstripped the growth in population. Yet there are geographical, time-sensitive stresses on the system. Now imagine that going up by, say, even 15% on a single day because of a 'mobilization' like this. The newbies who dare to try it out tomorrow might be put off buses - wrongly so - for a long long time to come. 

Hopefully, BMTC would've factored in the increased traffic to a certain extent, and (I say this only pragmatically) hopefully not too many will hop on all at once. The shift does need to happen, but more persistently, gradually, and permanently.

Posted via email from bangalorekaapi

A few minutes at a bus stop

I stood at the stop near the HSR BDA complex, on the Outer Ring Road, today.

Since I had time, and nobody to speak with, thoughts crossed my head, and I saw many things. Amongst them -

• Damn, soooo many one-person cars. Drivers with the owner do not count.
• That ONE Volvo has as many people as the 40 cars I can see occupying road space from here till wherever!
• Who threw these bus tickets/cigarette packets/wrappers around ? Do we have the slightest right to crib about governance ?
• All this road work is so we can have more people drive in cars alone, and then start needing more road space ? Dumb.
• Bangalore still has lovely weather.
• The traffic and construction dust is killing it though.
• Thank God for the many who take the buses. Esp those who could've otherwise been in cars.
• Hmm, no 'choice' cyclists in the 20 minutes I've been here. Still a tiny minority, obviously. Or they take a better route!
• Why does everyone honk so much when it has absolutely no impact! Frustration, I guess.

Anyhow...

Posted via email from bangalorekaapi

TFN09 Updates

Some TFN09 news :

• RJ Anjaan of Radio One will pick 3 lucky peeps to ride the Tour of Nilgiris - free - this week! Tune in to his show at 94.3FM!
• Lotsa people have started training seriously. (I still need to :( )
• The contest for the photographer and blogger should be up tomorrow or so. The goodies are in, and quite yummy!
• Ladies - immediate registration privilege extended to the next few registrations from you. Do spread the word amongst women you know who want to go on the bestest, toughest, funnest ride.

The Big Routes

The Big Circle Buses have quietly started functioning on the ring roads. Here's an updated map describing the routes:

(click to enlarge)

Unfortunately, the information dissemination on the routes, schedules etc is still quite lousy. For instance, it seems that the Big10 frequency on Sarjapura Road is higher now, though there's no way of knowing that for sure.

Anyone know the frequency of the Big Circle buses ?

From The Biker's Mouth : Cycling Safety in Bangalore

Its very tough to really really convince people that cycling is hardly an act of daredevilry. Its a normal, safe, mode of transportation and recreation, not an adventure sport meant only for those living on the edge!

This was posted by Kanishka Lahiri in the course of a discussion on one of the lists I'm on:

"I have some personal experience that might help dispel certain myths. At the outset, I am a far more experienced driver (~15 years) than I am a cyclist. I consider myself a careful and good driver. I moved to BLR in 2007.

In 1.5 years of driving around Bangalore, I had 4 (all minor, but highly stressful) accidents. That;s more than the number I had had in the previous 14 years. This includes brushes with auto rickshaws, cars, and one stupid cyclist. On a separate occasion I got punched in the face by a motor bike guy because I braked to allow an old lady to cross Sankey Road. Needless to say, each incident resulted in high levels of stress, and a feeling of being physically threatened.

I started cycling in June 2008. Number of accidents in nearly 1.5 years --- ZERO. Number of near misses: I'll admit there have been a few, but in almost all cases, I could attribute the near miss to stupidity on my part. There are a set of rules one ends up following when cycling on Bangalore roads. Mature cyclists make up their own rules to make themselves safe in what otherwise looks like a hostile environment. As a result, for me, while concentration levels are high when biking, emotional stress, and physical risk levels are very very low. Much lower than when driving.

The point I am trying to make is, the notion that our roads are highly unsafe for cyclists who have good judgment is a myth. And my contention is, cyclists must have good judgment, else they have no business being on the road. So I agree, an 11 year old who has little experience, is well-advised when told to stay away from busy roads. But then, why single out cyclists? All road users are required to have good judgement, since city roads are a shared and potentially life-threatening environment. That's why we issue driving licences, and that's why we don't let 10 year-olds drive motor cycles.

At the same time, I am not saying that all is well for cyclists. Things could be better. Much better. Many of the rules I practice when cycling seem unjust to me. I practice them because I need to be safe. But ideally, policies on road-space sharing should be designed in such a way that I do not have to follow some of these crazy rules."

So there. This one's as unbiased as they get. I've a similar story (more in relation to motorbike which I used a lot before I started cycling) but by now, I'm probably considered an outlier. The whole effort reminds me a bit of Wall-E. Perhaps even walking will be considered something fraught with risk and not something that normal members society undertake.

[ Earlier post on this discussed what we mean when we talk about "safety". Do read for a very nice pov from another thread on another forum. ]

Is It Safe ?

Thats the most common question/fear I've heard from people when it comes to considering cycling in and around Bangalore.


[ Personally, I find it safe enough. 80% of road fatalities are those of pedestrians, yet the question rarely comes to mind whether we should avoid walking! Most often, one's either ahead of traffic or behind the lot thats gone past, so you need only a few moments of alertness and you're good. Way lesser risk, and stress. ]

Here's a few interesting viewpoints on safety:

Jayadeep talks about subjective safety, and the Insecurity Syndrome associated with cycling. Honestly, I have almost no incidents on a typical cycle trip, and at least one or two "braked too late" or "got a little closer than I'd have liked to" ones when do a similar ride on the motorbike. In a car, it still happens and its still unsafe - for someone else!

While on that, here's a beautifully articulated viewpoint from Rajat on the Bangalore Bikers group:

Ever since I started commuting by cycle, time and again I have pondered over the safety aspect of cycling when used as a means of transport. Even though the statistics point to a low accident rate, the danger of being hurt sometimes fatally is ever present. An increasing number of bikers and daily commuters will undoubtedly increase the probability that our community may very well have to deal with some really bad news sometime or the other. Each time out on the cycle we are aware of this undeniable fact and yet we ride unafraid, extra cautious maybe, but unafraid nevertheless. We ride our cycles not for lack of choice but because we want to and we choose to. It is my great pleasure to ride each time, either alone or with others, secure in the knowledge that in however small a way it may be I am making a difference in this fragile world of ours.

Somewhere, traffic's started becoming an arms race! No winners there. Just larger SUVs, more metal, road rage and a downward spiral. The humble cycle might yet break that loop.

More cycles -> fewer cars -> safer roads for all!

And honestly, the last 2-3 feet on Bangalore's roads are unclaimed and quite safe :)

Other tips:

• Be V-I-S-I-B-L-E. The helmet helps. Reflective strips, lights at night.
  
• Don't stick too close to the edge. Motorists apparently leave as much space from you as you leave from the edge!
• Use your arms etc to "puff yourself up" and define a space around yourself clearly.
  
• I sometimes stand on pedals to appear larger/slow down vehicles right behind.
  
• Make sure all your actions are indicated in advance to people around. Visibly, and if needed, audibly.
• Be polite. Make eye contact.
• Yet, be assertive. You know how it is around here.
• Before even a minor swing out from your lane/line, look over the shoulder. Practice this.
• Flow with the traffic - especially when switching sides of the road etc.
• Avoid making dumb mistakes yourself :)
• Give right of way. Especially to pedestrians.
• Have fun.
  

Rave

Rode a good weekend ride. A short slow one in great weather today.
Lovely weather. Oops, said this already :)
Nice Dev D songs on the headphones.
Solar powered light in the room adds more feel good.
Had nice hot tea.
One more person following their heart.

It all adds up. Some days are just so full of smiles and buoyancy.

The Tour of Nilgiris 2009 : Dates, Route, Its on!

Tour Of Nilgiris | Experience Nature On a Bicycle! | Dates/Route

Dates for TFN 09
Dec 15th : Reporting at Bangalore. Pre-tour briefing
Dec 16th : Bangalore - Mysore
Dec 17th : Mysore - Hassan
Dec 18th : Hassan - Mercara
Dec 19th : Mercara - Irupu
Dec 20th : Irupu - Break Day
Dec 21st : Irupu - Sultanbathery
Dec 22nd : Sultanbathery - Ooty
Dec 23rd : Ooty - Mysore - Bangalore - (Mysore to Bangalore by bus)

The route's got it all - flat outs, series of climbs, a major unrelenting ascent, history along the way, the most beautiful parts of the South, coffee, tea....

Bangalore Innovates

Great to see Bangalore lead. And I'd love to trike! It can actually be a good family shopping vehicle for a 2-3km trip.

Coffee ? Hangout!

Have you been to all these Coffee Hangouts? They made it into my cell cam over the last few days. Amazingly, given the name of the blog, this is the first Coffee-Only post!


Thats Panchami Garden on Bannerghata Road near the Jayadeva Flyover

Thats the cute little BMTC Canteen - opp Qwikys, 6th Block, Koramangala!

2/3 Coffee, HSR opp the BDA Complex makes good Filter Coffee at 20/-

The CCD in BTM is on the 1st Floor - the basement holds music classes!

Thats Qwikys in Koramangala that was the usual hangout

The Cafe @ FabIndia in Koramangala is cheap, pretty...

... and the service is great too. Rolls, cake, chai.

Hmmm, no Darshinis in there yet. And they make the best, cheapest coffee. Gotta fix that soon.

BMTC information

I see a lot of queries wrt BMTC bus services in the analytics for this blog. Thought I'd just provide quick links here for the various things available in a single post.

The BIAS service to BIAL (Bangalore International Airport Limited)

Volvo Buses Across Bangalore

The Big 10s (a map-based one here )

Live Tracking of the Big 10s here. (There's tracking of some of the Volvos as well - check out the dropdown)

Help Park-A-Cycle

The RideACycle Foundation is a non-profit cycling advocacy group which aims to promote cycling for both commuting as well as leisure amongst Bangaloreans.



As part of this, we're rolling out a park-and-ride concept where people may use their cycles from their homes (off the trunk routes) to get closer to bus stops, park them safely there and take a bus. For this, we are requesting apartments, stores and other establishments which are closer to bus stops, shopping centers, etc, to donate 3-5 slots inside their campus for parking bikes and help promote this cause. We will maintain a list of such locations for all cyclists to access.

If required, RAC-F will put up a (movable) cycle rack to enable this.

We will be giving out id-cards for ensuring access control so no unauthorized people enter the premises, and users of this facility will be allowed only with these cards, and only if free slots are available. RAC-F will maintain updated contact details of all id-card holders.

The parking providers will have no formal liability towards the safety of the bikes inside their premises, and users will need to ensure they lock the bikes properly. [Of course, it would be great if we can request the security folks to keep an eye out, especially if these slots are located such that they are near a security post.]

It would be great if you could bring this up with your association, and let me know if we can get this rolled out at your apartment, or a store nearby.