Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) flyover at Nagawara junction along the Outer Ring Road (ORR) is a good example about how unplanned and short-sighted infrastructure can actually add to the traffic congestion instead of decongesting the city.
The flyover that lands on ORR just before HBR Layout, a residential locality next to the flyover, has forced its residents to take a 2-km circuitous route to reach a destination around 200 metres away.
Residents of HBR layout used to take a right turn near Bescom office to go towards Manyata Tech Park and Thanisandra before the inauguration of the flyover. However, now traffic police have blocked the right turn at the Bescom office junction and motorists have to take a left turn compulsorily on the service road. The next ‘U’ turn available to join the opposite lane to go towards Manyata Tech Park is at least a kilometre away, adding two kilometres to the route.
Dileep Kumar Churiwal, president of HBR Layout Residents’ Welfare Association, said that most residents of the area worked at Manyata Tech Park. “The Outer Ring Road has bumper-to-bumper traffic during most peak hours and the detour has added at least an hour to travel time in what used to be five minutes away,” he said.
While the residents of HBR Layout have been demanding a subway at the Bescom office junction, traffic police are looking at the feasibility of imposing new traffic diversions in the area that could solve the problem.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Traffic East) M.N. Babu Rajendra Prasad said making the service road stretch from the Bescom office and Manyata Tech Park a two-way was being considered. He added that reversing the traffic flow directions on the service roads flanking the flyover was not feasible.
