Residents feel pressure as this flyover leads to chaos

Residents feel pressure as this flyover leads to chaos

Vaishalli Chandra. Bangalore



Flyovers are meant to avert the criss-crossing of vehicular and pedestrian traffic. But residents of Maruthi Seva Nagar won't agree as the structures standing near their area have only added to their traffic woes.
The Maruthi Seva Nagar flyover connects Banaswadi Main Road to localities such as Kammannahalli, OMBR Layouts, HRBR, and Ramamurthy Nagar, bringing a lot of commuters into the busy city area.
However, the flyover has led to more problems than solutions to commuters. "There's congestion on the flyover during peak hours," says Ranganath Sadasiva, a member of the Maruthi Sevanagar Welfare Association.
The flyover was constructed to avoid long wait of vehicles at the railway signal. But it has not helped commuters much. On the flyover too, they are made to wait for five to 20 minutes. Traffic jams are common as the flyover is narrow, and the two-way traffic moves in a single file.
Another problem is the area below the flyover, which has been reduced to a parking zone. "There is a theatre adjacent to the flyover and film-goers park their vehicles in this area," says Sadasiva.
For residents of Maruthi Seva Nagar, the road below the flyover connects to Banaswadi Main Road. With parked vehicles blocking their way, the residents, especially women, children, and elders, find it difficult to reach the main road.
Commercial establishments are also hit. "Shops near the foot of the flyover have no choice as parking pressure is spilling over to the empty expanse beneath the flyover," says Joshua Peter, a resident.
Amid the congestion, some motorists confuse you by taking U-turns near Bharathinagar which precedes Maruthi Seva Nagar. Sometimes, the traffic jam is so bad that it stretches to half a kilometre on the road before the flyover.
The traffic bottleneck is the worst at the foot of the flyover, where the narrow road leads to an even narrow flyover. Potholes on the flyover also make it difficult for motorists to navigate. Bikers are at risk and the stretch is accident-prone .
Residents say the growth of localities such as HRBR, Kammanahalli, and HBR is adding pressure on this stretch.
"Even traffic cops cannot come to the rescue. They can only ensure that people don't jump the lanes or take U-turns," says Sadasiva.
Poor waste management is raising a stench in the area. Although residents are happy that garbage collectors come regularly, they object to the collection point, which is at the entrance to the locality. This causes a lot of inconvenience for them as throughout the morning, the collectors keep segregating waste. It is an eyesore for office-goers.
As the mercury is rising, residents are also concerned about the summer ahead. They say water supply has been erratic for the last two months