Traffic piles up at exit points of double decker flyover

BENGALURU: The double-decker flyover has fully opened recently, but traffic woes have now shifted elsewhere. Commuters who hoped that the double-decker flyover would end traffic problems around Silk Board junciton have found relief on the one hand, but are now stuck in traffic jams on the other.

To manage Bengaluru traffic, the government has planned and implemented several projects. The city’s first double-decker flyover is one of them. Initially, it was expected that once this flyover was ready, it would end the traffic chaos at Silk Board Junction — one of the city’s biggest traffic bottlenecks — and reduce commuter woes. And that did happen.

But the traffic that reduced at Silk Board has now shifted to two other spots where commuters now face traffic challenges during peak hours. The two exit points of the double-decker flyover have turned into new traffic hotspots during peak hours. The problem has started at one exit near Ragigudda Metro Station and another exit near HSR 5th Stage.

Vehicles that enter the flyover smoothly get caught in heavy congestion as soon as they reach the exit points. Of the two exits, the road toward HSR is narrow, so the high vehicle volume causes traffic congestion. At the other end is the Raghavendra Math Junction. Because there’s a traffic signal there, vehicles line up all along the flyover from the exit point whenever the signal is red. As a result, after the flyover opened, commuters get stuck daily at these two points during peak hours.

Commuters facing traffic at both exits daily are angry at officials. They say the lack of proper road widening at the exit points is causing the problem. “We’re stuck in traffic in both directions every day. Also, because the road is good, vehicle numbers are increasing, and we fear traffic problems will get worse in the coming days,” say commuters.

Overall, the government planned this development to solve one problem. But the problem has shifted from one place to another, leaving commuters struggling at two spots instead of one.