A report by traffic expert Prof M N Sreehari has stressed the urgent need to complete the Ejipura flyover and open it to vehicles to ease congestion on the Inner Ring Road and around Koramangala 6th Block.
The report has come in the wake of changes at the Sony World signal by traffic police, who blocked the right turn for vehicles coming from Indiranagar. This meant vehicles must travel at least 350 metres ahead and take a U-turn at the Jaipuria/Ooty Chocolates Junction.
The Koramangala 6th Block Residents’ Welfare Association strongly opposed this change and approached Sreehari towards the end of June.
Sreehari’s team studied the area for two weeks and produced a report with suggestions to improve traffic and mobility in the block, which will be submitted to the traffic police and local authorities.
The report concluded that due to the closure of the right turn at the Sony World signal, commuters wasted several minutes proceeding to Jaipuria Junction and turning around, leading to confusion and congestion in surrounding lanes.
It urged the authorities to reopen the right turn at the signal and increase the green phase of the signal to 15-20 seconds to facilitate faster movement of traffic from Indiranagar onto Srinivagilu Main Road.
The report also recommended synchronising signals along main roads in the city to adjust signal timings based on traffic volume during peak and non-peak hours.
The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) should collaborate with the Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) to relocate bus stops at least 30 metres away from road junctions, following the rules set by the Indian Road Congress.
The report suggested that authorities must focus on building footpaths for safe pedestrian movement. They must regularly maintain underground sewage systems, remove unauthorised parking of vehicles, especially school buses that occupy the whole lane, and prune low-lying trees to improve visibility and prevent injuries to pedestrians.
Internal survey
The RWA also conducted an internal survey among residents.
As of 8 pm on Wednesday, 265 out of 270 respondents agreed that the changes made by the traffic police at the Sony World signal inconvenienced them and demanded its immediate reversal.