Commuters taking the Kaggadasapura Railway Crossing in East Bengaluru, who have been facing traffic congestion during peak hours, have started an petition online after facing log jams leading to 3-4 hours of delay.
A daily occurrence is the line of cars on either side of the tracks. For those going from DRDO, Narayanapura, Vignananagar, Marathahalli, and other regions, it has become a nightmare, says local residents.
“Major IT hub and industrial regions like HAL, Marathahalli, Outer Ring Road, Narayanapura, etc. are connected by this road. IT professionals, employees, and commuters from several nearby places use this route to enter the city or get to their destinations. Five traffic officials often work regularly to clear the backup at the railway crossing, which shows the enormity of the problem,” said a resident.
“It is a completely chaotic scenario at peak hours in the morning and evening,” Madhu, a local resident, said, pointing out that many schools were located close-by, adding to the density of traffic. “Even after receiving numerous complaints, the administration shows little interest. There are no attempts to lessen the amount of traffic congestion, not even to build an overbridge,” a motorist said.
Another road user, Niveditha, said a flyover must be built or access to the DRDO overbridge, which is intended for only pedestrians, must be provided.
Dharma Raj, a traffic official, said that additionally, K.R. Puram will encounter problems because the road is narrow for large vehicles travelling toward the Ring Road. The last remaining option to escape the congestion is to cross the DRDO overbridge.
Also Read - Indiranagar residents, traders equally fed up as civic work affects daily commute
However, a gateman for the railways, pointed out that erecting a flyover will require the removal of numerous structures which may pose another set of problems.
Oshna Panjwani, a resident who has started the petition on Change.org, had received 2,787 signatures as at the time of writing.
“As many of us living in Kaggadasapura leave for work in the morning, the first bottleneck we find is right outside our lane — Kaggadasapura railway crossing. Public transport, school buses, water tankers, cabs, private vehicles all use this route. During peak hours this place is a mess and often results in log jams leading to 3-4 hours of delay. Not only do cabbies not realise their mistake of not driving in lanes and blocking the roads I have witnessed even the educated lot going and blocking the place,” she said in the petition.
