NO HALT TO NIGHTMARE

NO HALT TO NIGHTMARE
The BBMP plans to remove the skywalk outside the newly built Traffic and Transit Management Centre (TTMC) in Jayanagar 4th Block so that buses entering the renovated bus station don’t block traffic. But the lack of overhead access will make it a nightmare for pedestrians waiting to cross the busy thoroughfare
SUCHITH KIDIYOOR


Constructed at a cost of Rs 12.90 crore and inaugurated a fortnight ago amidst great fanfare, the Traffic and Transit Management Centre (TTMC) in Jayanagar 4th Block has claimed its first casualty: The massive skywalk meant for pedestrians!
The authorities have decided to remove the three-year-old skywalk after realising that it had turned out to be an ‘eyesore and an ‘obstacle to the TTMC (which is nothing but the renovated bus station) built by the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC). As the skywalk is located at the entry point of the TTMC, buses jostle for space and that causes a huge traffic pile-up. If the skywalk is removed, two buses can simultaneously enter the bus station.
The BMTC operates 368 schedules and 2,378 trips every day from the TTMC to different parts of the city including Shivajinagar bus station, Shantinagar bus station, Banashankari, K R Market, Majestic area, Jambu Savari Dinne, J P Nagar and the Bangalore International Airport.
But BMTC drivers find it difficult to manoeuvre at the entrance of the TTMC because of the skywalk. At present, only one bus can enter the TTMC as the swerving radius for the bus is less. With the skywalk gone, two buses can move in together, the BMTC authorities contend. A BMTC official said: “We have communicated to the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) on the issue and requested them to get the skywalk removed.”
SHIFTING THE SKYWALK
The moot question is: Why didn’t BMTC foresee the skywalk problem before the TTMC building was constructed under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM)? Well, there is no official explanation for it. However, the BBMP and BMTC authorities who inspected the spot on Tuesday have already come up with an alternative site for the skywalk. The new location will be near Sophia School near Basaveshwara Circle. BBMP chief engineer A K Gopalaswami told Bangalore Mirror: “The skywalk in Jayanagar 4th Block came up on Build -Operate and Transfer (BOT) basis. The skywalk will be shifted to the busy Basaveshwara Circle where the movement of office-goers and students is very high. The BBMP is not going to spend the money for the shifting of the skywalk, instead it will be done by the contractor.”
He said the skywalk will be shifted after the BMTC shoots a formal letter to the BBMP. On what happens to pedestrian movement near Jayanagar 4th Block bus station, both the traffic police and the BBMP are happily clueless. As usual, their attitude is that it’s a bridge they will cross when they come to it. Till then...