Better connectivity, but greater woes

Better connectivity, but greater woes
The Outer Ring Road has brought with it a series of chain reactions, right from development of the outskirts to mounting traffic woes. Residential areas bordering it are no longer considered inaccessible. TOI reporters took a ride along the entire stretch to check levels of traffic flow, travel time and road condition and found that the road is no longer peripheral, but very much a part of the city
— Madhukeshwar Desai and Aniketh B C

Bangalore: How much of the Outer Ring Road is still a breather for commuters travelling around the city? Check this out and decide: The number of vehicles that pass through each signal on Hennur Road during peak hours has risen from 30 in 2000 to 1,000 today.
A ride along the entire stretch gives an idea of how much the road does or does not live up to its original objective of affording easy access without having to cut through the city centre. The Ring Road itself seems to have turned into a city centre of sorts. A study of congestion at each signal on the road tells the tale of a periphery turning into the core.
Bangalore has grown exponentially over the past couple of years and thanks to better connectivity, the city now includes areas that were largely unheard of and inaccessible before.
The 62-km Ring Road connects Hebbal, Banaswadi, Whitefield, Sarjapura, Silk Board, Bannerghatta, Kanakapura Road, Mysore Road, Kengeri and Tumkur Road. It was built to divert heavy traffic from jammed city roads to ease congestion without disrupting connectivity. Although it was constructed mainly for use by heavy vehicles, cars and two-wheelers now jostle for space here.
On an average, it takes 5 to 15 minutes to move between signals on the Ring Road. Ashwin M, a student, says: “Using the road is more dangerous than flying in a war-zone.
You have huge trucks trying to overtake you all the time. Earlier, it took me 15 minutes to get to my destination, but now it takes more than an hour during peak hours.’’ On working days, the junctions on the road are perpetually jammed from 8 am to 11 am and 5 pm to 8.30 pm.
A sub-inspector in charge of traffic observed: “The number of vehicles that used to pass through each signal at Hennur Road during peak hours was 30 in 2000. It is now over 1,000 vehicles. This leads to great congestion as just over half the number of vehicles pass through the junction every time the signal turns green. This also makes it hard to manage the traffic.’’
There are three choking points on the Outer Ring Road due to construction of underpasses at Banaswadi signal, Puttenahalli junction and Kadirenhalli junction.
WHY CONGESTION
Airport: The opening of BIA has led to an additional burden on the Outer Ring Road as residents of Mysore Road, Kanakapura Road and Kengeri use it to get to the new airport.
Construction boom: The connectivity that the road has brought to many areas has led to a boom in land prices and construction activities, leading to congestion. A shopkeeper at Nagawara signal says: “I have been here for the past nine years and seen the area develop. Earlier, there were no buyers for land around these parts, but now the rates have shot through the roof, with some layouts selling at close to Rs 2,500 per square feet.’’ These areas have begun to command high rates and show no signs of slowing down.
Intersections: The sudden spurt of development in areas like Kacharkanahalli, Bellandur and Nagawara, coupled with bad planning, has led to many intersections cutting across the Ring Road. Suparna Kar, a lecturer, says: “The Ring Road is the only way for me to get to work. Traffic has quadrupled over the past three years. Bad management of intersections leads to jams all along the way.’’
IT firms: Many residents have no choice but to use the Ring Road to get to their destination. Location of IT companies has added to the number of people forced to use this route daily. This leads to severe jams on Sarjapura Road, Silk Board Junction and Bannerghatta flyover. Residential boom too is heavy here, making traffic management on service roads to the Ring Road a difficult task.
Underpasses: Construction of underpasses at Puttenahalli Junction and Kadirenahalli Junction has resulted in diversions through residential areas. Although the underpasses, once constructed, will ease traffic in and out of the area, roads leading to and from the underpasses have not been widened.
No discipline: Road discipline is non-existent. This turns into a serious threat when trucks and buses do not observe traffic rules. A traffic constable at Veerandpalya said: “We have at least 2 to 3 accidents a day. These turn out to be fatal at times. Speeding two-wheelers in particular are more prone to accidents.’’ Last year alone, more than 6,544 accidents were registered here, 678 of which were fatal.
Bad planning has added to the woes. Although constructed with a view to have freeflowing traffic, this is no longer the case due to saturation of traffic and inability of the current infrastructure planning to handle the overload.
SOLUTIONS
M N Sreehari, chairman, Traffic Engineers and Safety Trainers, says: “The solution to the excessive traffic on the Ring Road is to create more radial roads that help build connectivity to the Inner Ring Road. There should be a dedicated lane only for the transit of buses. This will ensure smoother, faster travel for all vehicles. As for future plans, mono-rail and a peripheral ring road are options that need to be explored.”