Brigades will be walk zone on Saturdays

Brigades will be walk zone on Saturdays
The Times of India

Bangalore: The city’s favourite shopping haunt Brigade Road is set to get pedestrian-friendly. Starting this Saturday, vehicles will not be allowed on the road during peak evening hours.

The traffic police have decided to go ahead with the plan buoyed by the success of the last weekend, when it was implemented on a pilot basis.

The traffic police say the chaotic traffic on weekends runs into a bottleneck at Cauvery Arts and Crafts junction at the intersection of MG Road-Brigade Road. A car needs over 40 minutes to cover a mere 400-metre stretch between Kamaraj Road-M G Road junction and Opera-Residency Road junction via Brigade Road on a Saturday evening.
With a large number of roads becoming oneways, Brigade Road is the only one which directly connects Kamaraj Road, Cubbon Road and M G Road to Shoolay Circle. This has resulted in heavier vehicular movement on the narrow road. Angular parking on one side and unauthorised double parking at times only adds to the chaos.

“We’ve no choice, if we don’t close traffic for one or two hours, vehicular movement will stop at Cauvery junction,’’ DCP Traffic M A Saleem said.

Vehicles from Cubbon Road and Kamaraj Road will have to take a left turn at Cauvery junction on to M G Road, take a right after Mayo Hall and travel through Commisariat Road, Lifestyle junction and Richmond Road to reach Hosur Road. “We’ve to streamline parking and we will do it in consultation with traders on the road,’’ Saleem said.