JOIN USMorning walk may be a great form of exercise but travelling a distance on foot in the blazing sun or the torrid rains is not anyone’s idea of a good time.
However, due to its numerous one ways and bad public transportation, the City leaves one with no option but to do so. This is true especially when one has to travel short distances. Metrolife talks to the residents of the City on how they travel to areas within a short distance and the difficulties they face while doing the same.
It is a well-known fact that getting an autorickshaw to a nearby place is a tough task.
“If I have to travel a distance of about two kilometres or below, I generally walk. I walk from Kamakya Theatre to Banashankri BDA Complex everyday because there are no buses that go between these two places and the auto drivers overcharge. This in spite of the fact that the autos make money on short distances since they are not travelling the entire two kilometres,” says Sumukhi Suresh, a marketing executive. Others share similar experiences.
“You have to talk to five autos to find one who is willing to come and by then, you are already prepared to pay the extra amount,” says Pragya, an intern in an advertising firm.
The situation becomes even more difficult in the evenings and given the regular rains, the commuters are often forced to bow down to the extravagant demands of the auto drivers. Adding to the problem are the numerous one ways.
“The one ways in Bangalore are not small lanes but long roads so you have to walk the entire way or the auto will take you on a roundabout way thus charging you much more,” says Parul Pandey, a student.
Finding a bus may be a cheaper option but certainly not the easier one. “Based on where you want to go, you need to reach the right bus stop within the area. And bus stops are not really that close by. They are too far away to actually make sense to travel by bus for a small distance,” says Akiesh Elias, an executive in a private bank.
The discomfort is very apparent as buses are not available on every route. “Only a few bus stands have buses going to all the areas. It is difficult to travel here without having your own two wheeler,” says Sumukhi.
When questioned, the BMTC authorities say their responsibility is to provide a basic primary service in the City. “Our policy is that the buses should be there within half a kilometre of a road. But this does not include narrow roads. After all, we need to rationalise the routes for the buses,” says a divisional traffic officer, BMTC.
“But if commuters feel there are no buses on a particular route, they can inform the chief traffic officer about it,” he adds.