A simple traffic intervention has eased the congestion at the MM Temple (Tin Factory) junction near the Benniganahalli metro station in eastern Bengaluru and made the road safer for both motorists and pedestrians.
Traffic police have barricaded entry to the bus stop at the mouth of the KR Puram hanging bridge and shifted it just below the skywalk about 100 metres behind.
Previously, all buses going on the bridge impeded traffic as they stopped right at the beginning of the bridge, sometimes causing a holdup to the Kasturi Nagar downramp.
But this shift now enables thousands of pedestrians, and bus and metro commuters to directly board buses towards Hoskote, Madanapalle and other places at the foot of the skywalk instead of risking their safety running against oncoming traffic to catch a bus on the bridge.
Buses going towards Mahadevapura, Whitefield, and Silk Board Junction line up outside Exit ‘A’ of the metro station in a bus bay area, making it easier for commuters to directly board buses as they exit the metro station.
On Monday, however, several confused commuters continued to attempt to cross the road to reach the old bus stop. After being redirected by the traffic police on the ground, they exclaimed that this made their commute easier.
“I don’t have to rush across the road anymore to catch a full bus; I was always scared of being hit. This is now helpful,” said 68-year-old Somashekar, a regular commuter. Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic) MN Anucheth told DH that the traffic police spoke to both government and private bus operators to get them on board this plan.
“Since Wednesday, we have begun segregating the buses — those going towards Mahadevapura and Whitefield were directed to go left of the metro pillar, while other government and private buses going on the hanging bridge would go straight,” he said.
He added that this has led to a drastic decrease in traffic congestion and eased traffic flow between Benniganahalli and Hoodi because there is no holdup on the main carriageway.
A traffic police officer on the ground said that they plan to shift the now-barricaded bus shelter to the new bus stop below the skywalk. They have also communicated to the BBMP to remove the old unused footover bridge, which will free up some space for commuters, he added.
Traffic police have barricaded entry to the bus stop at the mouth of the KR Puram hanging bridge and shifted it to just below the skywalk about a 100 metres behind.
DH Photo/Udbhavi Balakrishna