A tedious drive to new airport

A tedious drive to new airport
Sujit John | TNN

Bangalore: It’s killing. There’s no other way to describe it. It took us nearly three hours through numerous congested traffic junctions and suffocating pollution to get from Electronic City to the upcoming international airport in Devanahalli, a distance of 68 km. It was only a little better, about two hours, for those of us who started from J P Nagar and Rajarajeshwari Nagar.
With the new airport scheduled to open in just over four months, The Times of India undertook an exercise on November 5 to check out the exact nature of the travails one would have to go through to reach the airport. The distance and the poor accessibility to the airport has had everybody worried, and our exercise at evening peak hours proved it will probably be worse than what many imagined. By about the 25th kilometre from Electronic City, we were beginning to feel exhausted, and cab driver Paramesh was complaining about his legs paining from the constant clutching-braking. At times he would look and sound as if he regretted agreeing to make the trip.
From our experience, here’s what you need to be prepared for: if you are taking an international flight out of Bangalore which requires you be at the airport three hours prior to departure, then leave home at least five to six hours before the flight time. We say ‘at least’ because there’s a good chance your cab will scrape or hit somebody in the bumper-to-bumper traffic, which might lead to a hold-up.
Take along plenty of water and snacks. If you have to stretch a little, take an AC cab. It may cost you about Rs 1,000 or more (the rates are not yet clear) for a one-way trip to the airport, but it will probably be worth it.
Finally, a plea to the state government and the Bangalore International Airport Ltd: Don’t put Bangalore’s citizens through this. We deserve better. For frequent travellers, it will be sheer nightmare. Find a quick solution.