For the past 15 days for vehicles coming from Jayamahal Road, the timings in the traffic signal near Mekhri signal has been drastically reduced. Earlier, we could cross the signal in 5 minutes maximum but from the past 15 days it is taking between 12 to 15 minutes. It may be noted that this is the same road in which road extension is being proposed to be undertaken at the cost of 800 plus trees. This proposal has been kept in abeyance because of citizen protests. It would be greatly helpful if the traffic authorities restore the previous signal timings so that traffic going towards BIAL and Peenya have a smooth flow.
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Analysis of this problem
This is a classic case. Not sure if the timings have indeed been reduced but I have noticed the shorter cycle as well. But the answer is not on this road at all.
Consider this, due the chicken neck from Gayathri Vihar gate to Cauvery jn on chowdiah/bellary rd, the traffic backs up all the way into the mekhri underpass. To avoid this jam most people take the slip road onto the overpass, so they can take jayamahal rd via cantonment to go to CBD. Now they actually decide this at the last minute as they approach the mouth of the underpass when they visually see the back up underneath. Then all hell breaks loose!
From 3 wide lanes everybody converges to the slip lane (some even backing up from half way into the underpass) blocking the straight thru traffic into the underpass on bellary rd. This traffic is too much for the slip road as well & hence backs up traffic all the way to sanjaynagar magic box and beyond. Compounding this is the fact that the Mekhri circle bus stand towards CBD isnt where there are 5 lanes but exactly in the short 100 meters where there are 2 & half lanes.
So to to allow frequent clearance of the slip road and reduce back up they may have shortned the cross cycle on Jayamahal rd towards IISC. Now this reduction in cycle like you say is actually backing up the jayamahal traffic towards TV tower as well
Net-net, backups all the way from BDAjn to Sanjaynagar jn. 3 kms takes me 20 mins on an average sometimes more. One would think widening jayamahal rd will solve the backup nopes, the problem is at gayathri vihar chicken neck directly perpendicular to the road in question, that corridor needs widening not jayamahal rd.
The thing about chicken necks is that it not jammed because there are more private vehicles, its because it causes a merge and a merge in any country needs first proper merge lanes, markings, yeild education, discipline and unselfishness all of which are absent. I have seen even public transport vehicles during non peak hours cause chaos at that junction because every body wants to squeeze in not bother with taking turns or yeilding to the straight thru traffic. Compounding it is the fact that 5 lanes merge into 2 there!!!
Its an engineering problem not a public transport, private transport issue.
Some reading on this.
Always traffic signalling computation and optimization is challenging. More details here. I am still reading when I get free time.
Thanks Idontspam, you have
Thanks Idontspam, you have done a detailed analysis of the issue. What I meant was due to reduction in traffic signal time, traffic going towards Airport is hampered