Hassle-free ride to new airport promised

Hassle-free ride to new airport promised
By P M Raghunandan, DH News Service, Bangalore:
The traffic from GPO, Raj Bhavan road, to the new international airport in Devanahalli will not only be signal-free, but also free from all sorts of of hold-ups.

The State Government will shortly declare the entire 33-km route — from the GPO junction to the airport — as a separate traffic corridor and entrust the responsibility of managing traffic till the airport to the Bangalore city traffic police.

“The jurisdiction of the city traffic police will be extended till the international airport as far as the corridor is concerned. A notification will be issued soon,” S Krishna Kumar, an advisor to the governor, told Deccan Herald.
The plan is to have an integrated management and control of traffic on the road leading to the airport. “We cannot have multiple authorities controlling traffic on this route...We can’t have a situation in which the DCP traffic, Banaglore city, mans the traffic till Hebbal, and from there till the airport, the Yelahanka traffic police gets into the picture and so on,” he added.

“Traffic management is a matter of training, experience and technique. Traffic police in places like Yelahanka will be good only in controlling trucks and lorries. Managing traffic on the airport road is a different ball game. “Hence, only well-trained policemen will be deputed on the route to manage traffic. He or she will be adequately trained to clear traffic immediately in case of accidents,” he explained.

Welcome move
According to ACP (North traffic) K H Chandrashekar, it is a welcome move.

“We are already preparing for the new system. Our policemen have good experience in ensuring smooth flow of traffic,” he said.

He said a proposal has been sent to the government to set up a separate traffic police station for the corridor. With the BBMP taking care of are all traffic junctions (by making them signal-free) and the Bangalore city traffic police controlling the traffic, vehicle movement to the airport will undoubtedly be smooth.

This is not all. The government is planning to put up sign boards and other traffic equipment all along the route. Especially, small cranes will be kept ready on the road so that they can immediately lift vehicles that are damaged in accidents.

The Bangalore traffic police will implement this using funds under the B-track project. Besides, additional policemen will be provided to manage traffic on the road.

However, Bangalore city police will be free to take the help of the Yelahanka traffic police, if necessary, Mr Krishna Kumar added.

Smooth drive
*Road between GPO and new airport to be declared a separate corridor
*B’lore city traffic police will manage traffic on this route lJurisdiction of city traffic
police to be extended till the airport