Read this in today's paper.
http://www.hindu.com/2009/03/30/stories/2009033059820400.htm
"Bangalore: Bangalore will soon have its widest magic box underpass for vehicular movement at K.R. Circle.
The underpass, to be built across the road leading into Cubbon Park at K.R. Circle, will have a width of seven metres. It will connect Ambedkar Veedhi with Nrupatunga Road and make the junction signal-free."
Anyone knows anything more about this grand plan? This is called kicking the can down the road. All the traffic piles up on Nrupathunga Road (near the signal at Hudson Church). Or do they plan another magic box so that this traffic keeps flowing? Imagine Cubbon park; it will become impossible to walk inside as traffic will flow non-stop. And it's not that all this will make car drivers more patient. They take uninterrupted travel as a birthright and BBMP panders to them.
Well managed signals can lead to smoother traffic flow. The problem with our traffic lights is that people don't wait in lines and in the correct lanes and hence traffic jams occur at the signals itself. This small fact seems lost on BBMP and its engineers. Any such structural intervention should follow detailed analysis.
How are pedestrians going to cross? There are colleges and plenty of government offices there. I plan to write to the ACP Traffic police and let's see how he responds.
Srivathsa
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The Future for Hudson Circle !
Magic boxes are too narrow for hudson circle traffic & in any case, they will cross one another & are therefore, unsuitable as outlined by Yajaman. They will have to look skywards to address it. Not now - only when it arrives & becomes a "very serious traffic congestion problem" !
This might be one of the ideal solutions in the future for hudson circle......
K R CIRCLE
However the convenience of pedestrians/bus commuters should not be lost sight of.
As the one-way bus routes are in vogue already commuters are put to much hardship. In this circle and other such plans suitable provisions should be made for the bus commuters getting down at a particular bus stop to cross over to the other side to catch another bus in the other direction or to reach his destination. It should be user-friendly for senior citizens by avoiding too many sub ways/ climbs. Surface level pedestrian walkways have to be built in in the plans.
Hope the concerned designers will give sufficient thought to this aspect.
K.V.Pathy
KR Circle update
Here is something from bangalorebuzz.blogspot.com
"Efforts to ease traffic in the city appear to be heading nowhere. The scores of flyovers and underpasses built in the city to provide a permanent solution to the problem, have only ended up pushing the bottlenecks to points ahead.
The newly built underpasses at Maharani College junction and KR Circle on Seshadri Road, which have now been thrown open for trial run, on Tuesday gave Bangaloreans a taste of the catch-22 situation they are in.
The net result of the new underpasses has only meant, that the huge snarls that used to build up at Maharani College junction is now pushed to KR Circle."
This is what happens when a junction by junction approach is taken. Efforts to ease the traffic will not work because these efforts have been all over the world and have failed. Look at Bangkok, Dubai or Moscow. The only sustainable way is to reduce cars and increase public transport. I wonder how many more flyovers and signal free corridors need to be built to understand this.
Srivathsa
Drive safe. It is not just the car maker which can recall its product.
KR circle is beautiful
I was coming in from Yelahanka and going to Girinagar, but took a detour to travel on Sheshadri road, KR circle, Vidhana soudha and took the underpass on KR circle from Ambedkar veedhi to NT road.
Since it was Sunday evening, there was too little traffic for me to understand if the KR circle rotary was good enough to cope-up with the traffic. But, one thing I realised was that Bangalore this is the most beatiful part of the CBD. I would complement the BBMP for making the KR circle look neat and clean. If this can be maintained, a lot of perception of Bangalore can be changed in near future.
Would love somebody to comment on the traffic aspects. It has been 4 days since the road has opened!!
-Srivatsava V
-Srivatsava V
KR Circle - First hand account
Certainly executed fairly quickly... so credids are due there. Unlike in the past, things aren't left half-done, general appearance is clearer, and signs have appeard too (though some are confusing, and not consistant with BTRAC).
But lack of fundamental planning is still very evident. I drive from vidhana saudha to corpn circle daily. The underpass from multi-story building to NT Road leads almost directly into the bus bay. What is the point? And at 6pm, that is a nightmare, with people standing right in front of the underpass outlet. On the other hand, I'd have been happier if the underpass was dedicated to public transport while the rest were made to yield and take the round-about.
Also see a lot of pedestrians now taking walking that underpass, to cross the road leading into cubbon park (may be since there is no signal on the circle anymore). Wonder why they couldn't add a footpath along the passage.
Haven't taken other stretches around the circle.
Ravi
Underpass exit too close to the bus bay??
Yes Ravi,
I observed that too, but starngely I thought that it one one of those unused bus-bays. There is another bus-bay, again with two shelters, just a little further (about 50mts ahead). I think that will be option to use for the buses. There will be some space for the buses from KR circle roundabout to come to the left lane, and cars and bikes will be coming in 'fast' from the underpass, since the magic box exit is a little steep.
Btw, Since you use the road daily, let me get your opinion on this. What is traffic that goes from Ambedkar Veedhi to NT road during the peak hours? Do you think the underpass is wide enough for the traffic? Correct me if I am wrong, All the traffic that enters Ambedkar Veedhi at GPO will have to pass by NT road and hence through this underpass.
-Srivatsava V
-Srivatsava V
@Srivatsava
The bus bay at the exit is the one in use, not the one little further down the road.
But BBMP has posted notices saying something like 'the current arrangement is temporary and wait till the rains end for more' or similar. Can't read all that bla bla bla while driving!
Traffic through the under pass is really not much. Especially since the choke point in front of multi story buidling in the evenings (that is when I take that stretch generally) throttles it down quite well.
I also see a good proportion (say atleast 60%) of the traffic hitting the circle instead. Going towards Majestic? Will try to get a better feel in the next 2/3 days.
Ravi
KR circle not bad
had a chance to ride thru the KR circle while coming back from the praja meeting..its pretty decent..hopefully this setup holds good in weekday peak traffic too!
Btw why is the maharani college underpass opened partially!?
Right of way in roundabouts
Nice to hear of successful decongestion happening as a result of efforts undertaken by administrators.
Hope the right of way rules in the in the roundabout is being indicated via signs (painted on road or on boards) and are being followed.
§§§ Tweetenator
Only Right, so no right of way!!
-Srivatsava V