A flyover steeped in ‘jam’

A flyover steeped in ‘jam’
Allowing two-way traffic on the Richmond Circle flyover has only made the congestion on the stretch more chronic
BANGALORE MIRROR BUREAU


When the city traffic police announced the removal of the signal atop the Richmond Circle flyover, motorists heaved a sigh of relief as they thought it would lead to a smooth flow of traffic on the perennially congested stretch. Almost 10 days down the line, they have found that nothing has really changed.
The narrow flyover has been converted into a two-way, and the piling up of vehicles on the flyover as well as on Double Road has only increased when compared to the situation earlier. “The traffic becomes horrible during peak hours. It takes about 20 minutes to reach Richmond Road from Double Road. BMTC buses stop just before the flyover, blocking other vehicles. When they move on, we get to ascend the flyover. Coming back to Double Road from Richmond Road is really trying on your nerves,” said Devki Sahani, a businesswoman who regularly traverses the stretch on her scooter.
The traffic police say that as there are several crossroads connecting Double Road, which goes towards Lalbagh, vehicles coming from Richmond Road to Double Road through the flyover get stuck for a long time. “We are trying to regulate BMTC buses that stop randomly on Double Road. If their movement is streamlined, the traffic pile-up will be reduced to a great extent on the stretch between Double Road and Richmond Road,” a policeman said.
Several motorists felt the chaos had gotten worse after the flyover became two-way. Earlier, traffic movement on the flyover was smooth, but not anymore, they said.
When contacted, the Ashoknagar traffic police said they were working towards making traffic movement smoother on the stretch.