Why Hosur Road?

You'd think a blog with a name like "Hosur Road Traffic Jam Blues" would restrict itself to traffic jams on Hosur Road, but no! Hosur Road today represents the dichotomy that is Bangalore- a broad, 4-laned highway that leads the way majestically to massive campuses of some of India's finest IT companies; which also features the most horrendous traffic jams, accidents, breakdowns, road flooding and incidents of road rage- all thanks to a ubiquitous and utter disregard for the law and complete failure of the authorities ro provide even the basic infrastructure capable of sustaining high growth.

So this blog is going to be about Bangalore in general; in fact, it's about urban sprawls everywhere; cities unable to cope with their rapid pace of growth thanks to an indifferent, apathetic and completely opportunistic administration, so out of touch with what is good for the population that they find it quite convenient to just serve themselves and the rest be damned.

Nandan Nilekani, CEO of Infosys, a lifelong resident of Bangalore and one of the city's proudest sons, wrote a lovely piece in the Indian Express recently. Never overtly aggressive, the mild-mannered Nilekani epitomises the tolerant Bangalorean spirit, best captured in that tell-all phrase swalpa adjust maadi saar.

But for how long? The latest in a series of episodes that would be funny if they weren't so traumatic is the open conflict within the current coalition government on the much-vaunted Metro Rail project. While Deve Gowda, described with little irony by the mainstream newspapers as "the JD(S) supremo", has demanded the Metro project be shut down since it is "a ruinous expensive project which guzzles power and takes time to build, (d)uring construction (of which, it) plays havoc with the lives of citizens, uprooting shops, residences and even places of worship", his Congress counterpart and state CM Dharam Singh insists there is "no going back on the Metro rail project"

Hang on a minute here. When did this turn into an us-versus-them battle? Are we not on the same side for once? What is undisputable is that Bangalore's existing transport infrastructure is stretched. We need a fast, efficent and relatively cheap way to travel long distances otherwise before long there will be chaos. Whether this means buffering the (practically non-existent) terrestrial rail network or building an underground metro, on an elevated one for that matter, should be a matter for the experts to decide. Somehow you'd imagine that would include the government of the state that houses arguably the most progressive and fastest growing cities in the country today! Why then this completely unnecessary quibbling about which way is better?

The Metro rail proposal is nothing new--- I am sure endless commitees have sat on this and detailed feasibility and ROI studies have been undertaken before deciding to proceed with it. Why then should it be derailed (forgive the pun) at this critical juncture, i.e. just before work is to be commenced?

At the same time, I am unwilling to discount lightly the opinion of a seasoned local politician and a former Prime Minister at that! When examined dispassionately, Deve Gowda's comments make absolute sense--- what price are we willing to pay to make this ambitious- some say grandiose- plan a reality? Have we not learned from the Airport Road and Jayadeva flyover experience?

When I moved to Bangalore in 2002, the flyovers were touted as the solution to all of Bangalore's road problems. With much brouhaha and significant delays, the Silk Board junction flyover (the "gateway" to the IT corridor) was thrown open to the public one fine November morning (Rajyotsava Divas, or Karnataka Day, a rather obvious attempt at cashing in on cheap populism by an otherwise level-headed SM Krishna governement!) The first day, as we whizzed across in a matter of seconds, what used to formerly take nearly half an hour to traverse, we were so excited, it was the promise of a new tomorrow! We were free! Hosur Road's traffic woes were---- whoa, what the ---- TRAFFIC JAM!!!!

Obviously, whoever designed the (EXTREMELY expensive) flyover at Silk Board failed to take into account that not more than half a kilometre away was the extremely busy Bommanahalli/Begur Road junction that absolutely failed to derive any benefit at all from the new construction. In fact, if anything, it made things worse since now MORE people drove their cars to work instead of taking the bus, deceived into thinking that their traffic woes were no more. AND they got to the junction faster.

You'd think a traffic signal and a permanently stationed cop would be enough to manage the choas. But that'd be too easy. I am about to reveal Bangalore's most shameful secret, one that repeatedly gets in the way of its grandiose plans for development---- the authorities here are ineffectual! There I said it---and you can quote me.

This is the only civilised city in the world where I have seen vehicles moving on the wrong side of the road at high speeds with their headlights on high beam. The reason mostly is sheer laziness---- why take a U-turn up ahead when you can cut across and reach your destination by the straight line path? But the fact that the traffic policeman stands by doing nothing or at best waves a futile litle fist in your face as you smirk your way past has to figure somewhere in shaping that kind of warped motorist mentality, don't you think?

So anyway, we have these traffic lights which get switched off permanently in a matter of days because nobody bothers obeying them; we have a bunch of innocuous cops who try their best- bless them- but are unable in real terms to scare anyone into obeying the law; and we have this motley bunch of "volunteers" and "part-time traffic wardens" whom the IT companies further down the road have hired at their own expense, but whom everywhere knows not to have any authority worth enforcing, so they're pretty much a lonely lot waving their arms about and choking on exhaust.

The result- working hours get more and more flexible, most people leave home and office earlier and earlier to even out the flow, resulting in the road being pretty crowded throughout the day. A ban allegedly exists on movement of heavy traffic on this road and some others, but anecdotal evidence suggests otherwise.

But I digress---- my point is that no single initiative however well-intentioned is going to solve Bangalore's traffic woes, unless there is a concerted effort by all parties- government, bureaucracy, local authorities, police, public and industry- all acting towards a single purpose.

After all, isn't that what WE tell all our clients? "Our solution is not a panacea to cure all your ills; unless YOUR internal processes and people are aligned towards change, this will never be a success"?????

And frankly, watching two political heavyweights slug it out in public- one claiming vehemantly that the Metro is THE way out of our problems, the other equally vocal that it is NOT, is not inspiring much confidence.