On other city flyovers, traffic police enforce restrictions on goods vehicles and autorickshaws
Two wheelers take the express way flyover on Airport road as restriction relaxed a bit during peak hours to ease the traffic in Bengaluru on Friday.
Two wheelers take the express way flyover on Airport road as restriction relaxed a bit during peak hours to ease the traffic in Bengaluru on Friday.
Two wheelers take the express way flyover on Airport road as restriction relaxed a bit during peak hours to ease the traffic in Bengaluru on Friday.
Traffic on the Peenya Flyover along Tumkur Road in Bengaluru on Friday following a partial relaxation of restrictions on two-wheelers. Autorickshaws and heavy vehicles continue to be prohibited from using the flyover.
Bengaluru: Traffic police are taking a graded approach while imposing restrictions on the movement of two-wheelers, autorickshaws and goods vehicles on the city’s key flyovers: Electronics City, KIA flyover, Peenya, and BGS-Sirsi Circle flyover.The ban came into force on Friday, but the level of enforcement was uneven. While police actively diverted other restricted vehicles at Silk Board and BGS, they took a lenient approach towards two-wheelers on the KIA corridor and Peenya.Here’s a lowdown on what Team TOI found on Day One.KIA Flyover: 6km ban, endless woes for motoristsBan applies to a 6km stretch from Esteem Mall and Vidyashilp Junction, and not the entire KIA expressway. Display boards have been placed at entry points on both sides of the banned section where two-wheelers, autorickshaws and goods vehicles do not have entry.Near Esteem Mall, the southern entry point of the restricted stretch, three traffic policemen were stationed. Two-wheelers continued to enter the flyover.“Today is the first day… We’re looking after mostly VIP movement,” a traffic policeman said. Some riders were unsure whether to use the elevated route. Sajeev KS, a commuter, chose the road below. “I saw many bikers still using the flyover, but I didn’t take the stretch as I was wary of cameras,” he said.In the afternoon, TOI found that the journey towards Vidyashilp through at-grade road took 11 minutes, as much of the traffic, including two-wheelers, was still using the flyover. The reverse journey took 18 minutes, with four signals along the route and an increased presence of goods vehicles diverted from the elevated stretch.A commuter travelling towards Yelahanka said morning traffic was bumper-to-bumper on the service road between the upper ramp near Kodigehalli Junction and GKVK, taking him nearly 20 minutes to cover the stretch. Another rider said traffic towards the airport was unusually congested between the Kodigehalli downramp and Baptist Hospital in the afternoon.Police said enforcement against two-wheelers would be tightened gradually. A senior officer said 1.5 lakh vehicles use KIA elevated corridor daily and stopping two-wheelers moving in the middle or right lanes could pose safety concerns.“If the two-wheelers come on the extreme left lane, we can stop them, but they are using the extreme right lane or middle lane, so it was difficult to stop them considering their safety and traffic movement,” the officer said, adding that enforcement could take another 2-3 days.Another officer said police were ensuring that goods vehicles did not enter the airport road flyover, while the two-wheeler restriction would take time to enforce.Peenya: Stricter ban, per-km fatigue increasesOn the 4.5-km Sri Shivakumara Swamiji Flyover at Peenya, police enforced restrictions strictly, stopping passenger autorickshaws and three-wheeler goods vehicles at barricades placed at Peenya and Chikkabidarakallu ends — but they were lenient towards two-wheelers. Heavy and medium goods vehicles are barred during peak hours, between 7am and 11am and 4pm and 10pm.Autorickshaw drivers questioned the need for the ban, saying relatively few autos used the flyover but those undertaking longer trips depended on it to bypass junctions such as 8th Mile and Jalahalli Cross. Prakash, an auto driver, said a 20-minute journey from Yeshwanthpur to Anchepalya could take nearly an hour on the road below.Silk Board: Goods vehicles carry ban loadAt Silk Board, police diverted heavy goods vehicles to the at-grade road after barring them from the double-decker flyover between Ragigudda and Silk Board.BGS: No big impact, cargo vehicles face barricadesAt the BGS Flyover, heavy goods vehicles have been banned round-the-clock, while light and medium goods vehicles are barred between 7am and 11am and 4pm and 10pm. Police said the restriction had not significantly affected traffic since vehicles were routinely diverted during periods of congestion.++++‘Last Ride’ Shifts To Low Gear, Cops Rev Up KIA CampaignBengaluru: Hours after superbike riders were stopped from heading to KIA for their “last ride” early Thursday, Devanahalli police increased barricades and launched awareness efforts on flyover restrictions.Police counselled riders on traffic rules, safe and responsible riding. Only around 40 superbikes passed through the checkpoint and proceeded further from late Thursday night.A senior officer said the bikers had caused “a nuisance” by blocking the flyover on airport road. They had misinterpreted that two-wheelers were banned on the entire KIA expressway, while the ban is only from Kodigehalli Junction to Vidyashilp Junction, about 6km.Close to 400 bikers had come for what they declared the “last ride”. They took the upper ramp of the flyover, which connects from Begur Road. “We had expected the bikers to come again on Thursday night. However, their numbers were not large. We educated them about accidents and traffic jams caused by autorickshaws and goods vehicle breakdowns and sent them away,” a senior officer said.
