Magic ceases, logic prevails

Magic ceases, logic prevails
By Praveen Dhaneshkar, DH News Service, Bangalore:
The magic boxes (underpass) erected by the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) to allow signal-free flow of vehicles to the Bengaluru International Airport (BIA) has worsened motorists' woes.

The design of the underpass allow only one vehicle to pass with ease and road users complain that wide-bodied vehicles like a Sports Utility Vehicle, a Multi Utility Vehicle or even buses get stuck during heavy rains.

Vikram Bhat, a chartered accountant of Sadashivanagar, said these ‘magic’ rides were not worth one’s while.

“I get stuck at the junction on a daily basis. The problems are compounded during peak office hours. Why has the BBMP chosen a design which allows only one vehicle to pass at a time. It should have gone in for two lanes at least,” he suggests.

Bangalore in-charge Minister Katta Subramanya Naidu during his recent inspection of these magic boxes had noted their poor width.

What they say
Praveen Sood, Additional Commissioner of Police (Traffic and Security): “It is a fact that the narrow width is an issue with vehicle users moving through the magic boxes, especially the Cunningham Road underpass. I am sure the BBMP is aware of this drawback. A desirable solution lies in having wider versions of the pre-cast boxes. The design aspects and technical evaluation can be looked into while the boxes are being prepared for future projects”

Prof M N Sreehari, Member of Agenda for Bangalore Infrastructure Development (ABIDe) and CEO of Consortia of Infrastructure Engineers says: “The design of these boxes is itself flawed. They have not consulted traffic and infrastructure experts. Generally, adequate geometry has to be provided during the pre-cast stage. Ideally, a road width of 5.5 to 6 mts should be kept while designing and casting the underpass segments. The present width stands at only 3.5 mts (single vent). What if an ambulance or a bus gets stuck? How will the traffic police tow them. With newer technology available, a solution lies in having a two vent box for two-way traffic.”