Will Namma Metro get its spokes in time?

Bengaluru is evolving into an urban sprawl, with unprecedented outward growth and the absence of integrated mass transit services. The Namma Metro, touted as the solution to our mounting traffic woes, cannot function in isolation — an integrated network of buses, pedestrian paths, cycle lanes, taxis and parking provisions is essential to the Metro’s success. However, there is little clarity on end-to-end connectivity, days before the Green Line is made fully operational. Integrated transport services should be planned at the start and not as a lethargic response to public demand, advocates Ranjani Madhavan.

Feeder Buses
DC contacted BMTC Chairman Nagaraj Yadav, who said, " We have been negotiating and requesting BMRCL to give priority to feeder buses. Mass transportation is more important than a small vehicle carrying 2 people. This only adds to the 65 lakh private vehicles in the city. BMRCL’s response is that it is a competitive world and all players must be given a chance."

A little under a week before Phase 1 is made fully operational (the remainder of the Green Line will be thrown open on June 18) , no headway has been made with developing feeder routes to new stations, although BMTC intends to add some 100 shuttles to its fleet. BMTC Chairman Nagaraj Yadav, said, “We have been requesting BMRCL to prioritise feeder buses. Mass transportation is more important than a small vehicle carrying two people. BMRCL’s response is that it is a competitive world and all players must be given a chance."

Narendra Kumar, who is part of a citizen’s group, said, “The metro connects areas like Vijayanagar and Mysuru Road on the Purple Line. Still, during non-peak hours, these stations are half empty. Existing lines also need feeder buses in the three-km catchment area - buses can go through Rajarajeshwari Nagar, Chandra Layout etc,” said Kumar, adding that there is also demand for routes in IT-concentrated areas.”

Cable Cars
The more obvious solutions haven’t been achieved, but authorities are flush with futuristic ideas, from smart cards to cable cars; the BBMP invited tenders for the latter in May. Pod taxis providing last mile-connectivity has stumped experts, too. Srinivas Alavilli, from Citizens for Bengaluru, said, "Ideas and experiments are great after we’re done fixing footpaths and synchronising bus routes! The solution is not in the sky!"

Pedestrian access
Pedestrian-friendly roads around Metro stations can increase footfall in a major way too. While the BBMP’s TenderSURE roads create a more pedestrian-friendly experience, this has not been focussed around Metro stations, many of which are still surrounded by badly-maintained pavements. A TenderSURE project has been proposed around the Indiranagar Metro Station on CMH Road, work hasn’t begun yet.

"Residents find it very convenient to have the Indiranagar and S.V. Road Metro stations on either side. However, there’s no room for us on the CMH road footpath, which has been taken over by vendors and commercial establishments. Double Road is worse,” said Praveen, an Indiranagar resident.

Parking
Seven stations have parking bays, including Chikpet, K.R. Market, National College, Lalbagh, South End Circle, JP Nagar and Yelachenahalli. However, with 65 lakh private vehicles plying the streets, parking is a major concern, with experts lauding the BBMP’s decision to reintroduce paid parking. Residents who live in the vicinity of major metro stations are left to cope with the hassles of illegal parking. “People from Koramangala, Tippasandra, Domlur and HAL park in the bylanes outside our homes and use the Metro. Many people also leave their vehicles here for the weekend to visit relatives on the other side of town, leaving us to suffer,” said Praveen. The Green Line expanding its operations is only likely to make the situation worse.

Speaking to Deccan Chronicle, BMRCL’s Public Relations Officer Vasanth Rao said, “We have many modes of transport to connect people to the metro station. It will take the public time to become accustomed to using the Metro and for BMTC to gauge feeder bus requirements and for cab aggregators to understand the potential in these areas.” It will take about three months to achieve, he added, saying, “We will examine the needs of the people and include their suggestions. Industry leaders need to conduct their own studies before deciding on cab kiosks. It will happen, though.”

Srinidhi, Praaja RAAG
Shorter shuttle buses with planned routes, must be made by BMRCL and BMTC together. They have to work in synergy and restructure bus routes. With the metro launch few days away, one would expect the BMTC feeder routes to be ready already

Srinivas Alavilli, Citizens for Bengaluru
It is good that they are making Suburban rail part of the solution. However, they are not leveraging the existing railway network to connect different places. There is no metro from Yeshwanthpur to Kengeri or Whitefield, but we do have Suburban rail."

Narendra Kumar, Nagarika Shakti
Existing metro lines also need feeder buses to run around the 3 km catchment area. for example, near Vijayanagar metro station there can be BMTC buses going through Rajarajeshwari Nagar, Chandra Layout,"

Public transport agencies are competing with each other: Dr. Ashish Verma, Mobility expert and IISc Professor
When trying to integrate different modes of Public Transport, many physical infrastructure factors have to be decided at  the planning stage. Integration doesn’t mean responding to the gaps that will eventually appear once a form of mass transport has been introduced - it should be part of the initial design. What comes after is patch work, not integrated design. Connecting the Metro with bus stands, suburban rail or anything else, for that matter, must happen during the initial planning. Perhaps it requires a change in approach, one that involves responding to supply measures and not demand management.

The demand a certain amount of parking space outside a metro station doesn’t necessarily have to be valid. The size of catchment areas around Metro stations varies in accordance with population density in a particular area - low population means a bigger catchment area. This access is also based on the amount of land available. Free parking space in the heart of the city is foolish.  

The absence of seamless integration can deter commuters. Feeder buses introduced with carefully planned routes and in adequate numbers should have been up and running by now. Of course, this isn’t possible without coordination between BMRCL and BMTC. If this happens at all, it is half-baked, clearly lacking organizational and fare integration. Metro has a smart card, while BMTC is struggling to launch one. Compare this with cities like Berlin, Zurich and Amsterdam, which follow single ticket / card systems across modes of transport.

Here, every organisation competes to profit individually, although an integrated mass transport network need not allow for this, when the basic function across all agencies is the same: moving people from Point A to B. Why should they compete? Organizations cannot work in isolation and come up with their own design, fares and routes. It’s not too late, of course, it’s possible to integrate BMTC, BMRCL and other transport agencies even now. It is well within the purview of the policy makers, awaiting someone willing to take the initiative and see the project through. To solve congestion, pollution, traffic we need to take away private transport. For this, public transport must have end-to-end connectivity to incentivise commuters.