Or is it a success?

One-way rule hits BMTC commuters
Shift Of Bus Stops Leaves Public Worried
• Minor Hiccups Near Flyover
Times of India

Bangalore: The one-way solution may have come as a relief to traffic congestion, but it has hit the BMTC commuter badly. With bus stops being relocated, those commuters who work in and around M.G. Road are having to walk long distances to reach their workplace. It appears that the police did not plan for this section. The decision to divert buses from Trinity Circle, heading towards K.R. Market and Majestic area, via KSRP-D’Souza Circle-Vellara junction and Richmond Road, caused commuters great hardship. Those who wanted to reach M.G. Road and surrounding areas were forced to get off at D’Souza Circle and walk up to Mayo Hall and then on to M.G. Road.

With civil works on near the football stadium, and improper pavements, the hurrying public was put to further trouble.
That was up to noon on Monday. The situation improved after the police allowed buses heading towards Majestic area to take the M.G. Road-Webbs junction-Commissariat Road (Mayo Hall)-D’- Souza Circle-Vellara junction route.

Around one lakh people work in offices, hotels, shops and other establishments in areas around M.G. Road and they depend on public transport. They want the BMTC authorities to streamline the system and have bus stops at places which will case least inconvenience to them and other road users.

Cyclists have also been hit hard. They have to pedal long distances to reach their place of work. Some autorickshaw drivers had a field day ferrying passengers to and from the short distances between bus stops and their places of work.

A few auto drivers complained that people are not engaging them after the one-way rule came into effect, because of the cost involved in going round in circles.

Scary drive

Bangalore: The Richmond Circle flyover is being used to its fullest capacity after it was made a two-way on Saturday. But, a criss-cross drive over the flyover could make one jittery.

The police maintain that road users have no choice. “If you want a comfortable ride on the roads below the flyover, where a large number of schools, offices and commercial establishments are located, be prepared for such small mental discomfort,’’ is the reply from police officers who have come up with the one-way plan around Residency and Richmond roads.
At present, the police are controlling the traffic on the flyover manually.

“We will have to erect signal lights on the flyover and close the Richmond Road and Mission Road ramps during the night to avoid accidents,’’ maintained DCP, Traffic (East) M.A. Saleem. The roads below the flyover remained freeways on Monday. Confusion had marred the same roads on Saturday when the one-way rule was introduced.