Regulation of pedestrian movement improves traffic at K.R. Market

Regulation of pedestrian movement improves traffic at K.R. Market

The Hindu

The market receives the highest number of floating population in Bangalore


BANGALORE: On a visit to Krishnarajendra Market (K.R. Market) these days, you probably wondered whether the market had been shifted, going by the smooth movement of vehicles.

One of the reasons could be the absence of ever bursting and moving crowd between Apsara Theatre and Avenue Road under the flyover.

The market receives the highest number of floating population in Bangalore. The area also houses prominent hospitals — Victoria, Vani Vilas, Minto Eye and Government Dental College.

As many as 10 roads either join or start from this junction. They are Victoria Hospital Road, Kalasipalya Main Road, Silver Jubilee Park Road, Avenue Road, Narasimharaja Road, one road each leading to and alighting from the flyover, one each to and from Mysore side (beneath the flyover) and one towards the City Market Police Station.

Uncontrolled movement of the crowd, especially between Apsara Theatre and Avenue Road was the reason for frequent traffic jams under the flyover. People used to board and alight from buses at this junction adding to the chaos. Apart from picking of pockets, bag snatching and chain snatching, lifting of valuables from cars stranded in traffic jams were on the rise.

It was at this juncture that the city police realised the need for regulating crowd movement at the junction. Though traffic management was the job of the traffic police, the law and order wing of the police proposed the initiative.

K.R. Market area boasts of having one of the oldest sub-ways in Bangalore beneath Victoria Hospital Road connecting Apsara Theatre and the pavement adjacent to the Fort. The subway remained underutilised and had been harbouring anti-social elements.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Traffic-West) Ramasubba told The Hindu that people were being compelled to use the subway. People will be allowed to cross the road at the zebra crossing between Apsara Theatre and Avenue Road till the completion of the subway from Apsara Theatre towards Chandra Bhavan and market complex.

Assistant Commissioner of Police, Chikpet Sub Division, H.K. Venkataswamy said the number of offences such as picking of pockets, snatching bags, chain snatching and lifting valuables from cars had come down.

According to City Market Police Inspector Babu Naronha, increased presence of police has prevented petty quarrels and skirmishes being reported from the locality. Vehicles, which used to wait for a long time, are moving fast now. The action plan was chalked out by Mr. Naronha and Kalasipalya Police Inspector S.K. Umesh and was put in place by the higher-ups from November 9. Both the inspectors and the City Market Traffic Inspector K.N. Rangaswamy visit the junction in the evening to control the crowd. The police said the drive would continue, as otherwise people would resort to old habits.