HOT TOPICS

SPOTLIGHT AGENCIES

The adventurous bus stands - K R Puram

315

Written By silkboard - 3 April, 2008

Traffic Bangalore BMTC Bus Stops KR Puram Citizen Reports public transport

There are a few of these special bus stands these days that exist right before a flyover or an underpass. Just as the road forks and grade separation begins, you find some crowd. Buses usually stops to block traffic heading towards the underpass or flyover. And pedestrians either have to run across flowing traffic, or wait in the middle of traffic to catch buses. Needless to say, you get a lot of 'almost' hit-and-run and screeching halt situations.
Examples? A very crowded one near K R Puram station (like in this pic here). One just before Jayadeva Circle underpass. One or two near Dairy Circle flyover as well. You would know a few more.

COMMENTS

KR Puram bridge - the worst possible design

Rithesh - 4 April, 2008 - 02:46

Probably this is the mostly badly designed bridge in India. You just can find something else that is so flawed. Neither the road over the bridge is laid well, nor does it server the purpose of reducing traffic congestion (the only thing were it helps is it avoids the railway crossing).

The pedestrian traffic is particularly high on the Benganahalli side of the bridge. A pedestrian over bridge is something that is desperately needed here (what happened to BBMP's plans for pedestrian over bridges with elevators??). You will find a large crowd both on the road going over the bridge and also on the service road (leading to Whitefield). I dont see any possible solution for the bus stand on the road over the bridge, but bus bays can be created on the service roads (it is wide). This will reduce the crowd congestion on the road. Buses here dont actually stop by the side of the road - they just stop where ever it is convenient for them!!.

And if you are traveling in this part of the city, you just cant start your day unless you get stuck at the junction below the hanging bridge (in front of the KR-puram railway station). Some times you get to see traffic jams all the way from Benganahalli flyover to this junction - almost 2 KM stretch. Every day i spend 1 hr in the traffic jams gazing at this mammoth concrete junk called KR Puram cable bridge.

Again there are a few simple solutions to this complex traffic problem at the KR Puram Railway station junction.
1. The road can be widened, by moving the railway station barricade a few meters back (see the image below).
2. Ban all parking on the road - because of the railway station there are always autos standing on the road (though there is a separate parking area)
3. A traffic PC has to be posted here at all times to regulate traffic - they usually turn up after there is a jam!!!
4. And guess what you will find street hackers right at the junction selling idlies!!!! I just dont understand how the police can let this thing here.


@blrsri - It was actually not the BDA but the National Highway Autorities and Indian Railways who built this thing.

K R Puram chaos - why and the fixes

silkboard - 4 April, 2008 - 03:56

K R Puram, to me, is perhaps an example of what happens when state/local government (BDA) and central government (NHAI) work together - rather don't work together. If you are driving on OMR coming in to the city, and want to go towards Whitefield on ORR, you got to come all the way under the ORR Benigenahalli lake flyover, take a U turn to join ORR. In the process, you must join the chaos near the bus stand area two times. Adding an off ramp from the bridge on to ORR towards Mahadevapura should clear a lot of chaos here. Imagine changing buses at this location. You have to get down at this bus stand, and then cross this 100+ feet wide road to go to the other side. Its a sad sight to see pedestrians pleading to and sometimes getting chased by the thick vehicular traffic. A pedestrian over bridge, and a designated bus stand a little away from this chaotic grade separator should help a lot. So all in all, above planning errors have resulted in a chaotic junction at a place that could easily have been an infrastructure show case for Bangalore - a good looking cable bridge, a nice grade separator near a lake, and a railway station.

Many such cases

bangalorean - 4 April, 2008 - 05:18

This is not the only case where such incidents are being seen, this sight is also common near dommalur flyover and Diary Circle flyover towards NIMHANS and also towards ORACLE buildings... People get dropped off and picked up at the begining of the flyover, causing a huge inconvience to the moving traffic. This is been done not only by BMTC but also our famous ilogical cab drivers. And hapless policeman standing near the flyover looks over, but is not able to do anything ........... Will put some pics of those later..... --Cheers

Chicken's neck on OMR

Mwm_mute - 5 April, 2008 - 15:06

I have been a passive reader of this forum for the past few months. I could not hold myself back when the issue of traffic mismanagement at K R puram found its own thread. I would like to know if any of the members has been privy to the future plans (if any) for the chicken's neck created by Benninganahalli railway bridge on OMR. Thanks.

flawed designs

blrsri - 4 April, 2008 - 00:45

'oops forgot the public' attitude of bda has led to this.

About KR pruram bridge shown in the foto..the official bus stand for mofussil t'port is at benniganahalli(500 mts before) and in KR puram..a good ~2 kms from the point on the foto..nothing inbetween! The mega quagmire of flyovers at this junction is the most ill desinged and still hardly much has been done to address bus stops!

One immediate relief that can be given to passengers is the magic pedestrain underpass which will allow amongst others the occasional old person with thick lenses or the small 3 kids led by the big sister to cross the road peacefully!

 

Thats brings us to a bigger question on the designing abilities in BDA..what are the engineers doing? are they equipped at all? and as Syed says, we need to pitch in..but will our opinions be sollicited?

That alone deserves a seperate blog and action arm!

One easy way is for BDA to proivde internship opportunity to students of transport enginnering in Blr itself..

http://www.bmsce.ac.in/departments/transport.html

this is an example of existance of such a dept. they could have their projects done at BDA and also have the satisfaction of contributing to something..before they can travel abroad to use their skills..

I had a friend of mine who did this long ago and said theres no market in India and settled in the US!

PRAJA.IN COMMENT GUIDELINES

Posting Guidelines apply for comments as well. No foul language, hate mongering or personal attacks. If criticizing third person or an authority, you must be fact based, as constructive as possible, and use gentle words. Avoid going off-topic no matter how nice your comment is. Moderators reserve the right to either edit or simply delete comments that don't meet these guidelines. If you are nice enough to realize you violated the guidelines, please save Moderators some time by editing and fixing yourself. Thanks!