Relief for Brigade Jn is three months away

Relief for Brigade Jn is three months away

Senthalir S. Bangalore

Ever since work on the Metro station began, commuters have been having a hard time passing through the Brigade Road junction. However, respite will still take some time coming because the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) has declared that the temporary structures, which are causing traffic problems, can be removed only after three more months.
According to Darshan V, a commuter, traffic piles up at the junction during peak hours. "The Metro pillars have reduced the space on the road, making it difficult for vehicles to move freely. While we get delayed by at least 15 to 20 minutes everyday at the junction, the wait extends to nearly half an hour on certain occasions," he said.
Another commuter, Latha Sreenivas, said that it is difficult to turn towards Kamaraj Road from MG Road. Stating that the four pillars erected there have crunched the space, leaving room only for one or two vehicles to move at a time, she said, "Earlier, there was ample space for vehicles to move smoothly. But this became increasingly difficult after the Metro work began."
Underlining the fact that the BMRCL could have provided more space for vehicles to move on the Brigade Road Junction, MN Sreehari, advisor to the Karnataka government for Traffic, Transportation and Infrastructure, said that instead of erecting four temporary structures, the authority should have restricted themselves to three. "This would have left some more space on the road for vehicular movement," Sreehari said, adding that some planning on traffic management can also help.
Stating that the passenger car unit on MG Road was 3,000 to 4,000 earlier, the expert said that things have turned really chaotic in recent times.
A traffic cop said that he has a very hard time handling the haphazard traffic flow in the area. "Commuters are made to wait for a very long time here. It gets worse whenever the traffic signal stops functioning," he said.
Meanwhile, a senior official with BMRCL justified the need to let the temporary structures remain for another three months. "This is necessary as the span is 50 metres wide. Individual segments have to be cast at the site itself. Though it may seem a little cumbersome now, the patience of Bangaloreans will pay off in the long run," he said.