BENGALURU: Fretting over increasing traffic on Airport Road following the scrapping of the steel bridge project by the State government? If your answer is affirmative, worry not. Several other route options are available to decongest the traffic on Airport Road, say experts.
Urban and Traffic experts in Bengaluru suggest that mono rail from Central College grounds up to airport, five new alternative roads, metro rail and traffic intervention at some particular stretches will ease the traffic flow.
According to traffic expert Prof M N Sreehari, five new alternative routes to airport from various parts of the city are the need of the hour.
They include Yeshwanthpur- Yelahanka-airport, War Memorial Circle- Hebbal-airport, Hennur Road-Bagaluru-airport, Nagavara-airport, KR Puram- SH 35(Hoskote road)-airport. He also suggested mono rail from Central College grounds up to the airport along with Metro rail.
“This will lessen the burden on existing Airport Road,” Sreehari added.
Urban expert V Ravi Chandar said there is an immediate need for an intervention between Esteem Mall and Hebbal flyover. Subsequently, interventions at Cauvery Junction and Windsor Manor can help people reach the airport in less time.
“The steel bridge project would have benefited only those who own cars at the cost of 850 trees. The State should consider more frequent, convenient and affordable mass transportation means,” said Kala S Sridhar, Professor, Centre for Research in Urban Affairs, Institute for Social and Economic Change.
She told Express, “Better roads and a larger fleet of BMTC buses will go a long way. Simple measures such as ensuring pothole-free roads and streamlining traffic signals will make a lot of difference in reducing traffic congestion.”
On constructing a Metro line along the stretch, she said it was a viable but expensive option.
“Bengaluru should learn from cities such as Shanghai in China and Bogota in Columbia, where innovative measures are being implemented in the mass transit sector,” she added.
Techie Avinash Srinivas who works at Manyatha Tech Park said his colleagues often take airport taxis to reach KIA. “Though there are BMTC Volvo buses for airport, not many commuters depend on them due to less frequency,” he said.
The State government, meanwhile, seems to have lost interest in finding a solution to decongest the traffic on Airport Road following the controversy over steel flyover plan.
“What can be done if the opposition party members, mediapersons and NGO activists are all willing to travel on Airport Road at a snail’s pace? Why should we bother if people themselves don’t want better infrastructure in place?,” asked Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy. Bengaluru Development Minister K J George was not available for the comment.