NMT Master Plan & Bicycle

Infrastructure for Bengaluru

Call to Action Report
Jan 2011

Prepared by Praja & CiSTUP

Sathya Sankaran
Srinidhi Sampath
On behalf of Praja
 NMT Master Plan & Bicycle Infrastructure for Bengaluru

About CiSTUP
Centre for infrastructure, Sustainable Transportation and Urban Planning (CiSTUP) is a joint initiative of Government of
Karnataka and India Institute of Science (IISc) to develop a center for unique expertise in the areas of infrastructure,
sustainable transportation and urban planning. CiSTUP engages in several activities such as basic and applied research
and development, academic activities, training programs, workshops and consultancy projects in the areas of
infrastructure, sustainable transportation and urban planning.

About Praja
Praja (www.praja.in) is non-profit citizen networking platform that promotes constructive discourse and encourages
engagement on local civic issues. It is a growing Internet based local community with 4500 registered members and over
35000 unique visitors every month.

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Contents
1. Preface ................................................................................................................................................ 4
2. Objective ............................................................................................................................................. 5
2. Introduction ........................................................................................................................................ 5
The Need ............................................................................................................................................. 5
Case Studies ........................................................................................................................................ 7
3. Bicycling Master Plan .......................................................................................................................... 8
Master Plan Stages.............................................................................................................................. 9
Critical Measures ................................................................................................................................ 9
NMT Cell ............................................................................................................................................ 10
4. Pilot – CBD Bicycle Sharing................................................................................................................ 11
Objectives of Pilot ............................................................................................................................. 11
Locations ........................................................................................................................................... 11
Rental Process ................................................................................................................................... 13
Infrastructure Requirements ............................................................................................................ 13
Physical Segregation ..................................................................................................................... 13
Combo lane ................................................................................................................................... 14
Mixed Traffic ................................................................................................................................. 15
Bicycle hangars.............................................................................................................................. 16
Risk Mitigation .................................................................................................................................. 16
GOI support ....................................................................................................................................... 16
5. Summary ........................................................................................................................................... 17
6. Glossary ............................................................................................................................................. 18
7. References ........................................................................................................................................ 18

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1. Preface

Non-motorized transport (NMT) plays a dominant role as an affordable main mode of transport in
many of our cities. Walking and cycling are the important modes in the integral transport system of
our cities. NMT is frequently associated with poverty, low-tech and not innovative, however now a
days It is beginning to play an increasing role, albeit usually as a convenient and non-polluting local
distribution mode in multi-modal systems. NMT is becoming popular even in a number of high
income industrialized countries such as the Netherlands. Public transport system in a city,
irrespective of which city and what kind of transport system be it Metro rail, Mono rail, Rapid Bus
Transit, Tram service or City bus service, in spite of commuting thousands/Lakhs of people, fall short
of a complete trip. In the sense, they are well executed between destinations en route on their
predefined map than that of a users' choice of destinations. It is precisely at this point NMT and in
particular Intermodal Bicycle Connectivity pitches in.

NMT Plan along with Intermodal Bicycle Connectivity (IBC) for Bengaluru is a well researched
document, highlighting the need of IBC for Bengaluru, target groups, case studies across globe and
India, and with a biking master plan and a pilot plan for CBD bicycle sharing. The biking master plan
is developed on the basis of ‘network planning’. It includes stages of planning, critical measures to
be considered like traffic reduction, traffic calming, cycle lanes and cycle tracks and setting up of
NMT cell. Finally, the document comes up with a pilot study covering the issues of location of CBD,
Rental process of bicycles, infrastructure requirements (bicycle hangars, lanes, mixed traffic signs,
etc) and risk mitigations. This document goes a long way in developing an IBC for Bengaluru city in
days to come.

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2. Objective
The objective of this report is to bring focus of the relevant authorities on the required systemic
improvements that need to be done for provisioning sustainable transportation in the urban
agglomeration of Bengaluru. This report attempts to set the framework on which various NMT &
Bicycle related programs can be run within the city. The report also serves to underline the need for
a Bicycle rental program for the CBD district as a pilot. This report is not a detailed project report for
any specific bicycling program including the pilot.

2. Introduction

The Need
In an era of heavy city traffic, the efforts to create more traffic growth centered infrastructure (i.e.
expensive road-widening and flyover construction) has only resulted in even more chronic
congestion, grid-locked streets and an increasingly inefficient public transportation system. These
leave only one answer for most of our mobility needs – increasing dependence on private motorized
road transport, which further adds to the chaos, which requires even more road infrastructure in a
never ending cycle.

Only a multi-modal transportation network can allow optimal use of very limited resources such as
fuel, land, time, and money in the first place; and public health and environment, more broadly. No
matter how technologically advanced, any public transport system will not fulfill its role if it is not
easily and readily accessible. Bicycle, in particular has great potential to allow more people to access
public transportation conveniently. Accessing public transportation by bicycles can shorten overall
travel times significantly because bicyclists travel about four times as fast as pedestrians. Thus,
convenient access by bicycle can increase the geographic area served by one bus stop or transit
station 16-fold.

Encouraging non-motorized transport (NMT) such as bicycling can be beneficial in many ways:
Far less investments on infrastructure conducive to bicycling can better promote a richer and denser
mix of residences, businesses and amenities leading to better efficiencies.

Bicycling can improve public transport by providing faster and better-planned access to it. Given the
availability of safe and convenient bicycle infrastructure, more people will choose bicycling for short
trips, and also for longer trips in combination with public transport networks.

Transportation high proportion of poor people’s costs. In Shanghai, low income groups pay as much
on transport as on healthcare (5%), clothing (5%) and rent (0.8%) combined. Rising fuel prices only
serve to exacerbate this situation.

Thus, motorized vehicle trips can be reduced by diverting commuters to public transport with well-
integrated networks of bicycle infrastructure to provide convenient access to bus stops and rail
stations. The decreased travel by private cars and motorbikes will also cut oil dependence and
greenhouse gas emissions.

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The advantages of bicycling reach beyond transportation alone. Savings in fuel costs, a much smaller
carbon foot print and a practical way to achieve levels of physical activity necessary for maintaining
one’s health are added benefits.

In Indian cities, the share of NMT during peak hours ranges from 30 to 70%; trips undertaken by
bicycles account for about 10% to 35% of the total number of trips. In developed countries, bicycles
are an important mode of transport not only for entire trips (i.e. from origin to destination), but also
as a feeders for public transport networks. In a rich country like Netherlands, 27% of all trips are by
bicycle, whereas only 5% trips are by public transport.1 Though bicycle feeder trips for public
transport are a small proportion of the total number of bicycle trips, the potential for bicycles to play
a major role for promoting public transport can be very high.

To summarize, the following need to be considered to plan to encourage more bicycle use:

1. Accessibility: Encourage bicycle hire schemes. As of now, if one wants to use a bicycle,
particularly in combination with public transport, it is quite inconvenient unless one owns a bicycle.
Availability of bicycles for hire close to bus stops and at train stations readily would eliminate this
problem.
2. Safety in numbers: The more the number of bicyclists, the safer it would be to use bicycles in
the city. Any proposed bicycle system to be successful must plan for substantial numbers of bicyclists
on roads, and this would make the city safer for bicyclists.
3. Community involvement: There already are several well established biking communities in the
city. (Ride A Cycle Foundation, Bangalore Bikers Club etc.). Many members regularly commute to
work on their bicycles. These bicycle communities can help to enhance awareness and to promote
the use of bicycles for commuting and for last mile options.
4. Image: In India, bicycling suffers from an image problem and is viewed as either for the poor
man, or for a school child or as an obsession with bicycle enthusiasts. In short, it is seen negatively as
a desirable means for transport by the middle classes & upper strata of society. City-wide bicycling
infrastructure supported by good branding, backed by administrative and political efforts could help
transform this negative image and in the process, the entire transport scenario radically.

Target groups
Bicycles can be used by all age groups as also by all sections of society. However, the typical target
groups for such a system would broadly be:
1. Student community: This community is attractive for many reasons: they are a large, young
community, bicycling is a feasible option to most students, they are ‘trend-setters’, and of course,
they are tomorrow’s adults, sensitizing them today to the advantages of bicycling can be a good long
term strategy.
2. Potential two-wheeler buyers: An inexpensive bicycle option would provide them a more
competitive choice that has been lacking. Providing bicycles as an option could play a significant role
in controlling the growth in the number of two-wheelers in the city.
3. Middle /Upper-middle classes: These classes of citizens would adopt this mode since
parking constraints are very real. They are also likely to demand better facilities for bicycling in the
city.
4. Tourists: The Paris experience suggests that this service is preferred by tourists as an
independent, cheap means of getting around in town. And of course, the service would also have a
positive feedback on tourism as it would eventually make the city greener and more pleasant.
5. Public Transport Users: As already highlighted, a bicycling network can be used very
efficiently as a feeder system.

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Case Studies
International

Velib has been a very successful setup in Paris. Paris has a network of 400+
kms bike paths with around 90% of the streets accessible both ways for
bikes. Offers 20,000 bicycles distributed among 1450 stations throughout
Paris. This makes biking a valuable proposition in the city. It accounted for
25 million trips in its first year of inception itself, saving about $10 million!

Bixi system has established in Canada very well and the increased
ridership in all cities, Montreal, Quebec, Toronto is phenomenal. In
Montreal alone he system was expanded twice during 2009, with 5000
bicycles available at 400 depots. Time magazine hailed the Bixi bike-
sharing system as one of the 50 top inventions of 2008.

Bicycle sharing has also become popular in China. Hangzhou's bike sharing system has 50,000
bicycles, Bicycle sharing stations can be found in Hangzhou every 100 meter. Shanghai plans to
expand to 3,500 Bicycle Hot Spots throughout the entire city by 2010

India

Delhi: DMRC had started this eco-friendly initiative with only seven bicycles at the Vishwavidyalaya
Metro station in October 2007, which has increased to 25. On an average, about 50 to 60 people are
availing this facility everyday now at the Vishwavidyalaya station.

Pune :As per PMC records, there are 140 kms of cycle tracks. The pilot project would have 25
stations and 300 bicycles

Bengaluru: Many bicycle communities in the city have been actively supporting the cycling cause in
various capacities since some years. Some of their efforts have been to run pilots to make the city
roads more cycle friendly. Govt organizations like DULT and UDD have been effectively participating
in this area.

Corporates: Leading IT companies in the city have been promoting cycling both in and off the
campus. Infosys has encouraged cycling since a long time and also has space provided for cycle
parking, a shower facility so employees can wear fitness gear while cycling and change into their
formals. Wipro recently launched the @ Wipro We Cycle initiative which promotes cycling as
a commute option.

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3. Bicycling Master Plan

It is critical that every city have an NMT master plan. Bengaluru does not have one. This master plan
will provide the framework for making decisions related to Bicycling & other forms of NMT. The
Bengaluru NMT master plan has to be built around the concept of Network planning 1 Network
planning, is elaborated as “network route planning”, “road section planning” and “intersection
planning”. In order to promote cycling, a recognizable network of links and junctions has to be
developed where the need for detours is minimized and the number of encounters between cyclists
(and pedestrians) and motor vehicles are reduced. A special focus is directed to through routes
where high numbers of NMT-users can or do make use of. Investments on these routes are more
efficient since NMT volume is high. Besides, to make the network effective, less-intensively
used routes have to be included to create a coherent structure. In their phasing of interventions
such a prioritization based on volume of NMT-traffic and their function has been pursued:

Phase 1: Routes with heavy NMT use, where NMT-users have to share the road with MT.
Beneficiaries are NMT- as well as MT-users.

Phase 2: Routes with fast traffic are to be reconstructed to secure safe cycling and walking.

Phase 3: Smaller roads have to be reconstructed as part of the bicycle plan.

In a later stage, the network should be developed in such a way it serves distribution at district level,
and access on neighborhood level. Traffic calming measures are then more suitable and cost-
effective than separated bicycle tracks. Once the routes are selected and prioritization has been
made, road section planning (what to do with the lay-out: separation or mixing) and
junction/intersection planning has to be dealt with. Especially at intersections, interests of different
modes come together, which the planner has to solve. In that process of finding the optimal solution
the planner is searching the correct balance between shape, function and use. Network
planning has been a successful approach in the Netherlands, and can be easily transferred
to developing countries. The existence of a dense, coherent and consistent network of bicycle
facilities improves cycling conditions and its use. Since there is no uniform- but scattered - origin
destination patterns, focusing on a few major routes won’t help so much.

A hierarchical functional design encourages the use of the bicycle network; if each level in the
network will have its own spacing and design, a logical structure becomes visible. Besides cost-saving
aspects (not every route needs expensive adjustments), such a network will help to improve
recognition and perception of bicycle travel possibilities.
No master plan? 1
A mobility plan is essential to provide the direction and
continuity of improvements in urban NMT facilities. It
further may encourage relevant departments (planning,
transport, land use) to work closer together. The
'learning by doing' approach would imply that feed back
stages are an essential part of the process.

NMT activities can be implemented without a master

plan in various ways including ad hoc enthusiast
approach. However a structured Master Plan will provide

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a place holder for listing out the best practices along with reference guidelines, which will help in
effective implementation of NMT projects and also provide long term sustainability. This is more to
avoid similar instances as depicted in the image 1

Master Plan Stages

As a part of a comprehensive master plan, the following stages are recommended to be followed:

1) Establishment of a proper organizational set-up for urban mobility planning

and implementation, of a user participation set-up and of financing arrangement
for interventions.
2) Preparation of an inventory of user needs and of a NMT route network inventory and
problem inventory.
3) Preparation of a NMT action plan ('pilots').
4) Preparation of a long-term urban network plans (as the framework for
intervention selection; no urban mobility plan yet).
5) Design of a first package of interventions (using: design concepts, detailed design aspects).
6) Appraisal of the proposed interventions (and the action plan), approval and a start with
implementation (after the first package, the second etc.).
7) Development of a complete long-term mobility plan and policies

Critical Measures
Below is a defined a hierarchy of measures for cycling promotion in which the goal is to convert a
more or less cyclist-hostile roads infrastructure into one which encourages and facilitates cycling:

Traffic reduction: Can traffic levels, particularly of heavy vehicles, be reduced?

Traffic calming: Can speed be reduced and driver behavior modified?

Junction treatment and traffic management. These measures include:

Urban traffic control systems designed to recognize cyclists and give them priority.

Exempt cyclists from banned turns and access restrictions.

Provide contra-flow cycle lanes on one-way streets.

Implement on-street parking restrictions.

Provide advanced stop lines/bypasses for cyclists at traffic signals.

Junction alterations, signalize roundabouts, cycle-friendly junction design.

Redistribution of the carriageway -such as by marking wide kerb lanes or shared bus/cycle
lanes.

Cycle lanes and cycle tracks. Having considered and implemented all the above, what cycle
tracks or cycle lanes are considered necessary?

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NMT Cell
One of the recommendations of the master plan is to set up an NMT cell within the urban local body
or the urban transport authority of the city. The objectives of the NMT cell will be

a) Create the mission statement for NMT in the city & set objectives
b) Create a consistent set of standards and designs for various NMT programs in coordination
with appropriate departments
c) Ensure compliance with all NMT related infrastructure and monitor the progress and quality
of works undertaken
d) Ensure proper maintenance of NMT related infrastructure by following up with appropriate
departments
e) Propose changes and actions that will improve and/or promote NMT activities in the city
f) Engage technical experts & citizens on all issues related to NMT

Under the above objectives the NMT cell will engage a competent agency to come out with a
bicycling master plan for the city. This bicycling master plan will govern the actions of the NMT cell
with regard to Bicycling programs.

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4. Pilot – CBD Bicycle Sharing

Objectives of Pilot
The objectives and thus the success metrics for a pilot project are given below2

1. Creation of the brand for the system which will lead to a uniform expansion later
2. Working out the details of cycle and station design to balance cost, durability and user
friendliness
3. Determining the operational details, maintenance and redistribution processes
4. Designing, deploying and field-testing the technology required for the system
5. Identifying and understanding various risks to the system such as theft and vandalism
6. Working out details for a commercially viability under a public-private partnership
7. Defining and creating the necessary institutional structures
8. Creating public awareness about the system and the importance of cycling as a sustainable
9. mode of transportation
10. Identifying and cultivating potential partners for the system
11. Define data to be collected and types of reports that will help improve the system

Locations
One such logical area to start with, in the overall scheme of things, is the CBD area. The CBD area of
Bengaluru is moving to be a high density core with both Metro & Bus traffic servicing it. Increase of
FAR is being encouraged here with metro stations cutting across the CBD. The increase in motorized
traffic in a highly dense urban core has already led to severe congestion and this will only get worse

A shared bicycle program will service the entire CBD addressing all segments of the population from
schools in the area to shoppers and offices. This should provide a convenient mode of personal
transport which offers maneuverability next to that of pedestrians.

A map of the route for the bicycle lanes is below. This route covers the major Public transit points
within the CBD and also several Shopping districts & Educational institutions. The points of interest
are listed in the table. The markers on the map indicate the suggested locations for the bicycle
hangars

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Sl. Hangar Location Rack Placement Catchment

1 Shivajinagar BMTC
bus stand
2 MG road Namma
metro station
3 Trinity circle metro
station
4 Mayo hall BMTC
bus stand
5 Bengaluru club
BMTC bus stand
6 Ashirvadam Jn
Within the bus stand
premises on the ground level
Under viaduct or on-street
car park across road
Under the station
On far end sidewalk of Bus
bay across Mayo hall on
residency road
Current car park on
Bengaluru club side under
the overhead walkway
Along St Josephs PU college
compound wall on the left
side where cycle lane will run
Shivajinagar, Infantry road & Commercial
Street
MG Road, Brigade road, Church Street, St
Marks road, Cubbon Park
MG road, Ulsoor road, Hotels & Offices
PUB & surroundings, Commissariat road
malls, Offices
Bishop Cottons, Devtha plaza, Bangalore
club, Offices & Hotels
St josephs school & colleges, Bishop
cottons girls college, Good Shepherd &
Sacred hearts school, St patricks,
Convent road, museum road

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Rental Process
The rental process should allow for check out of the bicycle at any of the hangars and check into a
different hangar. Without this flexibility the chances of success is greatly minimized. It is important
therefore to utilize the help of technology to enable this. Mobile technology can aid these efforts
greatly as illustrated below.

Infrastructure Requirements
Physical Segregation

It is required that the bicycle lanes be physically segregated for the safety of the cyclists. 4 meter
wide lanes to carry two way bicycle traffic. In the pilot project roads like MG Road, Residency Road,
St Marks Road and Cubbon road are wide enough to carry 4 meter wide physically segregated lane.
These are single sided and also called contra flow bicycle lanes. Contra flow physically segregated
lanes allow for lesser cross over of bicycle traffic and minimal mingling of bicycle traffic with car
traffic.

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Pic courtesy http://www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au

Combo lane

On roads like residency road which have scope for bus lanes the bicycle lanes can be shared with the
bus lane even if they were physically segregated. The bus lane is made wider than a standard lane to
accommodate cycles as well.

Pic courtesy http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/13/Busspur_und_Haltestelle_in_Mannheim_100_9128.jpg

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Mixed Traffic
Mixed traffic is essential on roads like commercial street, Infantry road, Brigade road etc. On these
roads it is hard to physically segregate the bicycle traffic but are key catchment areas

Pic courtesy http://www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au

Mixed traffic sign

On narrow roads where It is not possible to ensure physical segregation

of bicycle lanes it is essential to put up signs like the one on the right at all
intersections where traffic enters into the mixed traffic street to inform
motor vehicle drivers to be careful of people on cycles. The general speed
of the motor vehicles on such should be strictly restricted to a maximum
of 30km/h to ensure minimum damage in case of collision.

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Bicycle hangars

Space for Bicycle hangars need to be provided by the city administration. These will be located very
close to the bus stop or Metro station so people can walk over and rent the bicycle. As you can see
from the pictures these racks can also be provided along
the roadside where street parking is present.

Along with advertising on the bicycles advertising on the

hangars can be a viable revenue support for the program.
Shown above right is the bicycle rack near BRTS stations
in Delhi which utilizes shelter for Advertising. The sides &
the back panel can also be used for this purpose.

Along with allocating space on streets next to bus stops &

metro stations, one could also make Rental Spaces posh
and attractive like a store front to promote bicycling.

Risk Mitigation
Tag Risk Mitigation
1 Theft and Subscription process requires documentation of users identity for follow-
vandalism up in case bicycle is not returned
Insuring bicycles against theft & stations against vandalism
Bicycles can also be tracked by use of GPS devices (this is not proposed in
the pilot phase)
2 Safety Helmets to be made mandatory and provided by the operator with each
bicycle
Laws to be enhanced to provide protection to Bicyclists & Pedestrians in
case of accidents
As a rule of the thumb one can state that at the lowest residential access
level (with speeds around & below 30 km/h), traffic can be mixed.

GOI support
The Ministry of Urban Development has launched a novel Rs 1400 crore green urban transport
project called Sustainable Urban Transport Project (SUTP)3. The project has been launched with
assistance from Global Environment Facility (GEF), the World Bank and UNDP. This is to explore and
implement 'green' projects like the one proposed here

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5. Summary

Worldwide cities are showing amazing progress in cutting down on private motor vehicle within the
city and encouraging bicycling programs. China is adding cycles by the thousands to its cities.

Cities in India like Delhi & Pune have already created bicycle lanes and rolled out shared bicycling
programs. Pune has 140kms of cycle tracks, it has gone one step ahead and already created an NMT
cell to channelize all NMT activities & actively promote bicycling programs.

Administrators in Bengaluru have not yet come to grips with the expectations befitting a world class
city like Bengaluru. We are running out of time. Some transformation steps to set the ball rolling
towards a sustainable Bengaluru would be

Reviving of NMT cell within BBMP/BMLTA

Setting up of a charter for the NMT cell
Draw up a bicycling master plan for the city including specifications
Implement pilot bicycle sharing project for CBD

The pilot will be the key to solidify the learning’s & customizations for the rollout in the rest of the
city and hence the following will be absolutely necessary to do

Markup segregated lanes along the routes where available and other options per the
specifications
Float international tenders for operators to run bike sharing program in the CBD
Provide space for bicycle hangars along the route and work out a viable financing for the
scheme

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6. Glossary
BBMP Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike
BMLTA Bengaluru Metropolitan Land Transport Authority
CBD Central Business District
DULT Department of Urban Land Transport
GPS Global Positioning System
IBC Intermodal Bicycle Connectivity
NMT Non Motorized Transport

7. References
1
The significance of non-motorized transport for developing countries, Strategies for Policy
development by I-ce, Interface for Cycling Expertise, Utrecht, the Netherlands, Dec 2000

2
Public Bicycle System, Proposal for a pilot cycle Rent ‘n Ride system for Bengaluru by Ulhas Joshi
May 2010

3
More information on Sustainable Urban Transport Plan is available
at http://sutpindia.com/index.php

Thanks to Parisar, Pune for sharing best practices which have been referenced widely in this
document

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Intermodal Bicycle Connectivity by Praja Bengaluru & CiSTUP is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0
Unported License.
Based on a work at praja.in.
Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at http://praja.in/en/projects/2010/11/17/intermodal-bicycle-
connectivity

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