A CASE FOR BUG CONTROL

Get out of any a suburban station like Bandra or Andheri and you will see a most bizarre but common sight. The serpentine line to catch a Bug (a slightly more civilized term that I use for the rogue 3 wheelers that we call auto-rickshaws) is much longer than the Best bus queues! Commuters stand in queues longer exposed to the elements as opposed to the protection available at a bus stop. But junta still prefers the Bug!

It only says one thing – autos have taken the place of bus services in most suburbs. This is very bad news for road users, commuters (as well, yes), and the delicate, tipping environmental balance. They are way too cheap that people prefer the auto over the bus, they take much too much space per person in the suburban milieu, the way the vehicle itself functions leaves much to desired and last but not one bit the least is the person at the handle. This is more of a rule than an exception – not that you don’t find the honest Bug man, who will return you a bag full of cash that you forgot without ever having taken a paisa out of it – but its this person’s general interpretation of traffic rules worsened by lack of education and road manners or lack thereof. A Bug can make a full 360-degree turn standing on its toes, which means there’s that much more driver temptation to do a ballerina between lanes. They own a much larger Share of Pollution owing to their 2 stroke engines, which need an oil & petrol mix – a welcome change is the CNG addition though. They are extremely unsafe on the highways at speeds over 40 kmph and again the drivers have utter disregard for basic physics. They have no suspension to speak of and the least you can expect is a crick in the neck in the present road conditions. At the same time, the new Best buses come with Air Suspension. In short, Bugs really are the bane of suburban traffic and the difference is crystal clear if we compare the traffic situation in taxi-only-South Mumbai and the suburbs beyond Bandra.

The other day as I read the paper about the Bug union pushing for extension into S. Mumbai gave me the chills. Can you imagine the calm of South Bombay being destroyed by the Bug attack? Every time I drive past the Bandra flyover from the South, I send up a silent prayer and take a one deep breath before I enter Bug world. What would happen to South Mumbai if they were indeed granted the plying extension is unthinkable.

The problem really is bus connectivity in the narrow lanes of the suburbs. For example, if I need to take a bus to Carter Road from Mount Mary in Bandra, I have to take a bus to the station and take another Bus to Cater Rd, which is a half hour ride instead if ten minutes tops. Buses don’t ply these roads. A solution probably is to replace 42 seater buses for the narrow low capacity routes with Maxi Cabs or 12 seater maneuverable tempos.

The story is this – the Bug is an outdated machine, driven by an un-trained lot with little disregard for anything except to get their 16 square feet metal heap into every conceivable nook and cranny. They are not fit for these times and the RTO is still doling out thousands of Bug licenses. They must be dispatched off at least to beyond the city limits in a phased manner by reducing the numbers first – it is the only practical and sensible solution available to us. This is not meant to be an anti-socialist comment – with the economy growing at 9% I’m sure there are better ways to provide livelihood for the drivers and its no reason to keep them on the roads. And yes, maybe its time we replaced them with the Nano… they are cheaper for sure and accommodates more in better comfort. Can we also request the MMRDA to speed up the Station Area Improvement plan for building skywalks, covered walkways and organize this wonderful Mass Transit system that we have in the Mumbai Suburban Railway in a way the Mumbai International Airport has done with Santacruz Airport? The Mumbai trains are really the only hope for Mumbai’s traffic solution and I would urge the Govt. of Maharashtra to put all their money into this and get as many cars, bikes and BUGS off our chaotic roads.