Field notes

201114004 Jenil Malavia

Field Notes

Place of visit: Geeta Mandir

Time: 15 hours

Date: 16th August

The first place through which I flagged off my field visit was Geeta Mandir (State Transport

Bus Station) Ahmedabad’s major hub for transport services across the state. The bus station

occupies huge premises and has four entrances to streamline the flow. My entry was

through the parking section & the security guard getting glimpse of me along with the

camera asked me to seek the permission from the office to photograph the place. Yes, but I

had to ask him the way to the office. The office was shabby & crowded! The authority told

me to ask for permission from their Central Workshop at Naroada & also informed me that

your camera would be taken if I were taking any pictures. I sadly went out to have a stroll

through the place.

My time of visit being in the afternoon the place dint seem crowded. There were people

sleeping in corners, some travellers at food/tea stall and yes many waiting for the bus to

arrive or leave. The traveller’s happened to be from various cultural backgrounds and

location as there were buses which connect to cities, towns & villages across the state.

On the back side of the depot there’s huge space for the buses; that’s where majority of

buses that connect to the small towns and villages start off! The displays were shabby but

majority relied on the audio operated through two huge speakers around that section.

There were two cabins facing the grounds, which were given to a team of bus authorities

and the police. The temptation to click pictures had erupted gain & I went and asked to the

authorities in the cabin. Unknowingly there was a building where majority of the officers at

the depot used to sit; was asked to go and talk to them. On reaching there the cabins were

empty infact no luck!

The visuals could be improved but I found that information was majorly conveyed through

audio in major parts of the depot. The people using the government services for bus

transportation were mainly lower-middle class people.

Through my discovery, top Singapore firms are going to design Geeta Mandir station as part

of development for vision 2022.

The artistic impressions of the bus depots once they’ll be ready.


But sad part is the negligence over design of on-road bus terminals. They are already in bad

shape and the government gives no damn.

Information about the bus

routes and numbers are badly

communicated.

Location: Bus stop outside Geeta Mandir

Location: Astodiya Chakla

The bus terminal just outside Geeta

mandir is totally congested and filthy!

Seems advertisements have completely

taken over the terminal and the basic

information is a mystery from the front

view. Usually people have identified as

a place to take the afternoon nap!

The bus stop has been totally covered

by the auto rickshaw walas. Rather

than a bus stop it seems more of like

autostand.

The visual appearance of the bus stop

is shabby with information display

again problem.


Location: Khamasa

The bus stop had no benches where one could sit. Apparently one could see more people

sitting on the pavement. The bus stop is just metres away from the Ahmedabad Municpal

Corporation’s newly designed building.

Information Display Boards

The display boards have information forcibly made to fit in. Moreover at few bus stops the

information has been written directly on the terminal itself. The existing status of how

information is conveyed about bus routes & numbers is pathetic state. This is really sad!


Unwanted things @ Bus Stops!

Location: Pritamnagar Akhada, Paldi

The tea stall guy told this phone unit is of no use since almost past 2 years and the

government does nothing about it. But these corrupted officers make sure about collecting

“Hafta” from them regularly.

Location: Shahpur Darwaja

A presswala(clothes) who operates next to the bus stop at shahpur uses the bus top to keep

clothes. However there’s garbage junction at the back of the bus stop all gathered dirt is

brought here. Plastic bag seems lying at the stop with unidentified owner.


Location: Shahpur Darwaja

With hardly any information and place to sit the purpose of the bus stop is questioned!


The bus stop has no proper infrastructure when you compare with others in the city. There

is no roof to cover and especially during monsoon the water pours from the top and the

seating is useless.

Visibility of Information

Location: Prem Darwaja

It’s shocking but this is an indication of existence of bus stop; with bus numbers that stops

here. However it doesn’t tell you which route it follows. The sad part is that ‘Mahatma

Mandir’ signage is given due consideration but the govt. does nothing to design proper

information for the bus transport even with the size!


Location: Delhi Darwaja

There’s a huge market (second hand sale of clothes) that set’s up everyday in the morning.

In the midst of the colours and hustle people fail to identify there’s a bus stand infact.

Location: Madhupura

Covered amidst the leaves it’ impossible for a stranger to locate there’s infact a bus stop

until you see people standing till half of the road.

Importantly the question that rises is why do some places don’t even have infrastructure set

for bus stops; nor are the visual indications strong that they relate to an existence of bus

stop. The irony is the places where you have more passengers do not even have a bus stop

and on the other hand there are deserted bus stops.

Through my retrospection the question that arises is:

The Old city is where majority of the people use the government bus transport but the bus

terminals in the other part of the city (across the river) things are rather different and better

in their comparison. Why is this so biased?


In the afternoon one could

spot people taking a short

nap at the bus stop!

One could even spot dogs

taking their afternoon

nap!

Apparently the man is

sitting on the front rod.

The bus stop seems

completely occupied with

dogs sleeping over.

One could spot the lady

sitting right next to the

dog; infact the only place

left.


Through my introspection

bus stops that have got

shops on their backyards

have this kind of design so

they do not block the view

of the shops behind.

The bus stop is in all

tatters the only bench

existing for sitting has

been occupied by the

sleeping dog.

One can’t even easily

figure out the number of

the bus that’s written on

the board from a distant.


A Bus stop turned into Garbage cum Toiletry

How could we expect that someone would like to sit or even stand to a place like this?

People come and urinate behind, lay unwanted things, a garbage collector laying this makes

the place filthy and stinking calling for diseases.


Bus Stops during Night

As the sun sets the bus stop glows with the advertising hoardings in the new city

Location: Natraj Cinema

!

Strangely the information display boards have no

lighting. So, one finds it difficult to read the

information during night time. The advertising

block is uselessly shinning at many places in the city

with significance.


Gujarat State Transport Bus Service

In absence of light, information & no place to sit the bus stop seems of no use.

At Subhash Bridge bus stop there is no

light for the board to glow infact there’s

no information to be displayed.

Also the tubelights have been

disappeared and only god knows where.


Just outside Vadaj the newly technologically designed bus station for AMTS there are

vegetable vendors who set up market late evening. Amidst the hustle to identify there’s a

bus stop for the state transport buses with the small signage becomes difficult.


Bus Rapid Transport System

Taking this idea the BRTS was designed with bus stops in the centre of the road.

The distance between the stop and the bus is sufficient to incorporate a passing lane. The size of the shelter is not large enough to hold the number of passengers waiting at the stop. Hence the passengers spill over on to the road. Also, accesses to a majority of the bus stops have been obstructed by large trees, vendors and haphazard parking. Hence curb side locations have to be segregated from the pedestrian pathway and access restricted to either unidirectional or bi-directional with the provision of a railing.


Unfortunately, the existing scenario with implementation of BRTS there has given rise to

indefinite traffic problems. Huge traffic jams and road blocks during the day and especially

during the evening hours have become trademark.

BRTS LANE


The BRTS was implemented with the idea that there would be reasonable downfall in the

numbers; people travelling with two & four wheelers. Infact that has not happened and this

has erupted traffic problems across the city. The length of roads has been minimized for

general vehicles as BRTS buses are allotted 30% of the road for their purpose. This often

leads to traffic problems through the day and especially in the evening hours.

If an AMTS bus stops on the way the vehicles at the back have to become stagnant due to

the minimised size of the road. The issue has now become of space!

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Field notes