Traffic in central business district likely to double

Traffic in central business district likely to double

The Hindu

More malls and high-rise business complexes set to open


Bangalore: Traffic in and around the central business district, Mahatma Gandhi Road and the surrounding areas is predicted to double by April-end. Most of the intersections in the area have a traffic density of close to 20,000 passenger car units an hour.

More malls, multiplexes and high-rise business complexes are ready to open before mid-year. A 130-room five-star hotel is due to come up where the Lido cinema used to be, close to Trinity Circle. There are two other large hotels already existing in the vicinity. The stretch of Mahatma Gandhi Road between Trinity Circle and Manipal Centre is also home to several foreign banks and headquarters of Indian banks.

The five-star hotel location will also see one block of retail stores in a new mall, a four-screen multiplex and more stores in another block, besides an upmarket food court.

The expected footfall is 30,000 to 40,000 on weekdays and upwards of one lakh on weekends when the cinemas are usually packed. The experience drivers have in Koramangala and Hosur Road, around a major mall and multiplex, is likely to be repeated here.

Another new development will be a 240-room, five-star hotel on Residency Road, opposite Bangalore Club. This is expected to be inaugurated in April. Opening its doors around mid-year will be another star hotel in Star City on Vittal Mallya Road, where a major business complex is also coming up.

When work on the Metro rail starts, traffic is likely to be diverted around Trinity Circle and the traffic police admit, it may be very difficult to impose one-way regulations or diversions on more than a temporary basis. Since the Core Inner Ring Road idea, mooted months ago, is yet to materialise, traffic in transit can be diverted only along Kensington Road or Brunton Road. The malls and multiplexes have been asked to provide adequate parking space to avoid spill over on to the roads.