NO MORE MANIC MONDAYS

NO MORE MANIC MONDAYS
New Expressway: 9.5-Km Stretch In Just Seven Mins
A T Subrahmanya | TNN

Bangalore: ‘Well, that was quick!’ was the refrain of scores of techies who travelled to Electronic City on Monday morning. Simply because the journey by the spanking new elevated expressway was dramatically different from those on previous Mondays.
Though there was an increase in vehicular traffic with buses ferrying people, it was smooth sailing all the way. A typical Monday morning at the Silk Board Junction would be a traffic pile-up from all directions, with vehicles towards Madiwala, towards Electronic City and from HSR Layout side and BTM Layout. While the traffic at the junction has remained the same, escaping the Hosur Road gridlock was a bog breather for commuters.
PEAK HOUR TRAFFIC SMOOTH
The rush of vehicles started as early as 7.45 am. There was a considerable amount of increase by 8.30 am when IT company buses started arriving. Even at 9 am, the peak hour, the 9.5 km ride took just 7 minutes! There were also incidents in which two vehicles had stalled right in the middle of the expressway but a towing vehicle came by to remove them.
Software professional Manish S, who came in the company bus, said the expressway had cut travel time considerably and helped them get to the office quickly. His friend Jithesh Varma said, “The expressway has really helped save travel time. But once we get down near the Silk Board Junction, the traffic pileup starts again as the widened road has a lot of vehicular traffic.”
TOLL BOOTHS IN 10 DAYS
Currently, the toll plazas are still being set up and commuters are enjoying a free ride but NHAI officials say in another 10 days, the five toll plazas will be ready.
According to Mathew Joseph, an employee of a software giant who occasionally travels on his bike to Electronic City, says he may not use the expressway once toll is levied. But many others say they wouldn’t mind paying the toll if it helps save time and being rid of the travelling blues.
GROUND REALITY
The traffic police are now taking up works to fix the traffic flow on the ground on Hosur Road till Electronic City by improving seven junctions on this stretch. Additional Commissioner of Police (traffic) Praveen Sood was present at the Bommanahalli Junction, the first junction where the signal has been placed, to oversee the process.
Earlier, even vehicles from the service road on the extreme left used to take a U-turn to Bommanhalli, blocking the traffic moving towards Hosur. But the police restricted movement from the service road and this led to arguments between the policemen and commuters. The changes also caused a pile-up for some time as the commuters from Bommanhalli ran into signals being put up.
Sood said: “Unless there is clear lane discipline, traffic movement will be difficult. We’ve started work to improve all the seven junctions on the stretch and started with the Bommanahalli Junction.’’
NEW EXPERIENCE
Increase in traffic with buses ferrying people, but smooth sailing all the way
Typical Monday morning traffic at Silk Board Junction remains the same, but escaping the Hosur Road gridlock was a relief for commuters
Rush of vehicles started as early as 7.45 am
Considerable increase by 8.30 am when IT company buses started arriving
At 9 am, the peak hour, the 9.5 km ride took just 7 minutes
The expressway has really helped save travel time. But once we get down near the Silk Board Junction, the traffic pile-up starts again as the widened road has a lot of vehicular traffic — Jithesh Varma | SOFTWARE PROFESSIONAL