Access is the focal point when urban development is planned through 30-minute cities. The objective is to reduce the amount of time (maximum of 30 minutes) used by citizens to reach critical points such as work, school, health care centres and other spots for recreation.
While the issue has been raised with the BBMP, authorities have not paid heed to fixing the problem. In 2010, a similar situation led residents to file a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) in the High Court of Karnataka, requesting the BBMP and the police department to intervene and stop garbage trucks from being parked in one of the streets of Dollar Scheme layout in BTM.
Sohan Ganesh, an employee at an advertising agency, said that he has noticed auto drivers charging excess fares, especially around metro stations, as he needs to travel to BTM layout daily, requiring him to take an auto from the JP Nagar metro station.
While the BMRCL claims that it has put the rule in place to ensure that other passengers are not inconvenienced, commuters with foldable cycles argue that the foldable cycle is no different in size when compared to the various luggage that are allowed on all the coaches.
Vijay Dinakar, a public transport enthusiast, said that when the BMTC first launched Volvo bus services in the IT corridor of the city, they carried out a ‘Bus Day’ campaign where on a particular day in a month, one could travel on the Volvo service for only Rs 1. “This encouraged many first-timers to use the BMTC and experience its service,” he said, adding that the move would drive consideration to public transport.