MYSORE ROAD:The newly-inaugurated Metro stretch between Magadi Road and Nayandahalli on Mysore Road is unlikely to mitigate the traffic woes in the region, say the locals.
The stretch consists of six stations: Magadi Road, Hosahalli, Vijayanagar, Attiguppe, Deepanjalinagar and Nayandahalli. Commute in the Metro, along the 6.4-km stretch, will take 14 minutes. When the service is fully operational, it would take only 11 minutes to travel the distance. In comparison, depending on the traffic on the road, it could take anywhere between 20-45 minutes to travel along the stretch.
According to a traffic policeman, who did not wish to be named, there are six traffic signals between Magadi Road and Nayandahalli. “When there is less traffic, especially at night, it will take about 10 minutes to travel the distance. However, during peak hours, commuters could be stuck in the stretch for up to 45 minutes,” he said.
A major cause for the same is the number of arterial roads that connect to Magadi Road and Mysuru Road along the said stretch. With the increase in number of vehicles in the city, traffic pile-up has increased. Metro will do only little to reduce the same, he said.
For Hucchappa D, employed at a factory near the Nayandahalli station, speedy completion of work on the Metro line would have ensured that some traffic was reduced. “But they took almost five years to complete the stretch. I don’t think the Metro will be successful in curbing the traffic now as many people have personal vehicles. It would be hard to convince these people not to use their vehicles,” he said.
Traffic problems are especially severe near Deepanjalinagar and Nayandahalli stations, he added.
Anand, an auto driver, said that the availability of other means of transport near the Metro stations would be a problem. “Most of the buses that ply near the Station use the flyover and there are no bus stops nearby. The closest one is about a kilometre away. Therefore, commuters will either have to hire autos or walk till the nearest bus stop,” he added.
Dev, a security guard, says: “Traffic at the intersection of Mysore Road and Outer Ring Road has continued to grow. Since the Metro doesn’t connect to every part of the city, people will depend on other means of transport, thereby causing traffic woes across the city.”