Ongoing work on the Sirsi Circle flyover and in the areas around Dairy Circle flyover have resulted in increased congestion on the surrounding roads. Those who pass these areas regularly said they are spending almost double the time on the road than usual.
Rush hour traffic piles up in and around Diary Circle as one part of the flyover is blocked due to white-topping work on Hosur Road. The road diversions provided are not sufficient to handle the huge number of motorists in and around Diary Circle, say commuters.
Autorickshaw and cab drivers said that the money spent on fuel has increased because of the traffic diversions and congestion on the roads.
Vishwanath, a cab driver, said, “I spend nearly ₹300 extra on fuel every day now because I have to take longer routes to drop customers as most of the roads around the Dairy Circle flyover are either blocked or are under repair, or dug up.”
Syed, an autorickshaw driver, said that traffic was turning out to be a nightmare. He said, “I don’t prefer taking customers who have to be dropped near Madiwala, St. John’s Hospital, Forum Mall and NIMHANS. I get stuck for more than half-an-hour on the Madiwala route these days. Earlier, I used to cross the stretch from Madiwala to St. John’s Hospital in just 20 minutes, but now it takes longer.”
A commuter who uses the flyover every day said that the traffic congestion after the asphalting started is exhausting, and that he has to leave home well in advance to avoid the chaos on the road.
Kritika Trivedi, a student who stays around 10 kilometres away from her college, said, “The main problem for me is accessibility because I don’t have any way of transportation to get back home. I have to walk a lot to catch a direct bus to my place. I cannot even take an auto or a cab because they overcharge citing white-topping.”
Food-delivery partners are also hit.
Naveen, a food-delivery partner, complained of delay in delivering orders due to the traffic. He said, “I am working more than 12 hours to complete my daily target. Initially, I used to deliver more than 12 orders in a day whereas now I am able to deliver only six.”
Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) officials said asphalting work on Sirsi flyover will be completed soon while white-topping on Hosur Road might take longer.
