All hell will break loose this summer, courtesy star hotels

All hell will break loose this summer, courtesy star hotels
Deccan Herald

Come April, vehicular traffic on these roads will see a humongous rise as a result of three new 5 star hotels, a niche mall and a multiplex being formally opened to the public, all located in the heart of the city.

If the stop-start-stop traffic on M G Road, Residency Road, Ulsoor Road etc, grates on your nerves, you had better enjoy it while it lasts. Come April, vehicular traffic on these roads will see a humongous rise as a result of three new 5 star hotels, a niche mall and a multiplex being formally opened to the public, all located in the heart of the city.

A 5 star hotel called ‘Ista’ promoted by the owners of Ananda Spa in the Himalayas, is in its final stages of completion.

The 120-140 room hotel is located on the site where the erstwhile Lido theatre used to be, and will be ready for occupation by the second quarter of this year. Ista will be a part of Block I which will house two floors of a niche retail zone.

The same site will also be home to Block II which will house a 4-screen Multiplex and two floors of retail space, complete with a Food Court.

Traffic density

If one goes by the number of footfalls Forum Mall receives during normal weekends - anywhere between 1.5 to 2 lakh (the number is higher on holiday weekends) and close to 30,000 during week days - you don’t need to be a genius to figure out that all hell will surely break loose on the roads with high density of traffic, like it did in Koramangala where Forum is located.

The Chancery Pavilion, a 5 star hotel with 240 rooms, located bang opposite the Bangalore Club on Residency Road, is due to be inaugurated in April this year. The J W Marriot in UB City, Vittal Mallya Road, is also expected to be ready in the second half of this year.

Most five star hotels are sold out on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, which seems to be the current pattern, and with the check-in time being 12 noon, peak hour traffic will continue from 8.30 am well into the afternoon.

Not to mention negotiating through the sea of traffic that will emerge from the multiplex and mall at regular intervals throughout the day.

Although the new hotels, mall and multiplex have provided for parking space, it is totally inadequate to meet the demand.

Herculean task

Going by all these developments and with the impending metro project or mono rail project, whichever of the two the government finally decides on implementing, how are hapless Bangaloreans going to deal with the herculean task of getting to work on time and getting back home in one piece? Will the concerned authorities please enlighten us all.