Plans of the city police to get a share-autorickshaw system on the city streets are yet to start moving. The concept, on the lines of the share-auto systems in cities such as Mumbai and Hyderabad, is aimed at reducing traffic congestion and also addressing safety concerns of women.
Though sharing autos is an informal practice in parts of the city already, the idea is to set up a formal system, to convince the public and also autorickshaw drivers of the benefits, with the police playing a proactive role.
“It is mainly intended to help working women in places such as Technopark so that they could form groups and we in turn identify safe autos for them. It is still in the discussion stage and might take off in a couple of months,” a senior police officer said.
Apart from reducing transport costs for the public, the system could also help bring some order among auto drivers, forcing them to stick to fixed tariff and use fare meters, the officer added.
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Junction of chaos
The Ayurveda college junction has for long been a bottleneck for traffic on MG Road, with reckless bus drivers now adding to the chaos.
The junction, which has vehicles coming in from two arterial roads and with a bus stop just a few metres from a traffic signal, is a tricky manoeuvre for vehicles, especially after a red-light halt.
Bus drivers wait on the right side of the road for the signal to turn green and, when that happens, suddenly swerve the vehicle left to move towards the bus bay. This blocks vehicles that have to go straight. Some drivers skip the bus bay and stop the vehicle a little ahead, congesting the traffic further. The bus bay would have been ideally a little more away from the signal, but if officials are to be believed, lack of space had forced the unscientific location. And if that is the case, a solution could well be a tough one.
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Pavement broken
The pavement of the main bus bay at East Fort, which is thronged by hundreds of people all through the day, is filled with potholes and craters, making it difficult for commuters to walk. At several points, the pavement has developed craters and the protruding stones cause discomfort to commuters. One needs to manoeuvre carefully to avoid getting struck, particularly during night hours. The concrete slabs laid on front portion too have damaged owing to the absence of regular maintenance and repair work. Being one of the main bus bays in the city, visited by local residents as well as by tourists, the sight of damaged floors is an eyesore too.
