New magic boxes will get wider

New magic boxes will get wider
By S Lalitha, DH News Service, Bangalore:

The width of all new underpasses being constructed will be increased by one-and-a-half metres, BBMP Commissioner S Subramanya said on Monday.

Underpasses of 3x3 metres will henceforth come in an expanded format of 4.5x3 metres. The decision follows a recent inspection of the underpass near Anandnagar junction by Bangalore in-charge Minister Katta Subramanya Naidu and Transport Minister R Ashok, who concluded that the width was inadequate for the passage of larger vehicles. The Commissioner had then announced that the particular underpass could be expanded to six metres.
In a chat with Deccan Herald on the role of underpasses in curbing traffic woes, Subramanya said 22 lakh out of the 34 lakh vehicular population were two-wheelers.

“If the underpasses had enough capacity to take care of the traffic caused by bikes, it could solve the traffic bottlenecks in a big way,” he added.

Expansion
The three sets of underpasses being cast presently comprise of 3 metre, 5.5 metre and 6 metre width. The width of all underpasses cannot be expanded to six metres, the ideal size for heavy vehicles to pass. “The width of the feeder road in many places being less, it is impossible to create underpasses of six metres width,” he said. The idea behind the dimensions of many magic boxes was to allow cars and two-wheelers to pass, he added.

Accidents down
The underpasses have done away with the time spent waiting at signals and reduced the number of accidents too, he noted.

“Bellary Road, the stretch used by maximum number of vehicles would have become a parking lot today if the underpasses had not been put in place,” Subramanya said.

On the progress of ongoing magic box erection, he said the underpass at Sanjay Nagar would be ready within a month.

The long-term solution for traffic woes include an elevated road with improved public transport system. Unless that is in place, these immediate solutions are the available option, he added.