One-way norm put off till December 11

One-way norm put off till December 11
Times of India

Bangalore: The two-way traffic norm being introduced on the narrow Double Road ramp of the Richmond Circle flyover may turn out to be a major bottleneck.

The one-ways being introduced on Richmond Road, Residency Road and surrounding roads, which was earlier scheduled to be implemented from Wednesday, has been postponed to December 11.

Since the civil works, including reworking medians and setting up signages, are not completed, the new system will be introduced from December 11 (second Saturday), traffic police officials said.

Although buses will not be allowed to ply on the ramp, the huge volume of traffic, including two-wheelers (70 per cent) and cars, may lead to clogging.

According to traffic expert Prof M.N. Sreehari, the ramp is 7.5 metres wide and has a capacity of 3,000-4,000 passenger car units (PCU) per hour. However, during peak hours, the volume of traffic exceeds 4,000 PCUs on the stretch, of which 70 per cent comprises two-wheelers.

“If buses are allowed on the stretch, it will lead to chaos. However, there is a lack of a scientific study for traffic flow pattern which has been reversed,’’ he added.

DCP Traffic (East) M.A. Saleem said that an extensive study has been made with a survey of traffic movement and also a vehicle count for the planned one-way. The ramp is 24 feet wide and is a short stretch of 60 feet. It can accommodate the two-way traffic.

“If it is not feasible after introduction, we will work out on alternative plan,’’ he added.