Traffic congestion down 15% in west Bengaluru due to Metro

Mangalore Today News Network

Bengaluru,May 20, 2016,  DHNS: Traffic congestion on major roads of western Bengaluru has come down by a modest 15%, most likely because of the east-west Metro service which fully opened on April 30.

In a study of traffic situation on roads and parking lots in western Bengaluru between April 30 and May 10, city police found that congestion came down by 15% on Mysuru Road, Kengeri, Nayandahalli, RPC Layout, Vijayanagar, Kamakshipalya, Magadi Road and Deve Gowda Circle, a senior police officer said. The Metro service eased traffic at many junctions, he added.

There are two major parking lots at Mysuru Road (Nayandahalli) and Magadi Road Metro stations (near the toll gate). More than 2,000 motorcycles and around 600 cars are parked in the Mysuru Road station parking lot. The Magadi Road station parking lot has around 200 motorcycles and 50 cars. Traffic congestion has dropped as these vehicles have gone off road, officer said.

People now use their vehicles only for last-mile connectivity. They leave the vehicles in the parking lots and prefer to travel by Metro to the Central Business District in general and Vidhana Soudha, High Court and City Civil Courts in particular. Police estimate that around 3% of commuters from western Bengaluru were using private vehicles and auto-rickshaws. They now opt for Metro.

“There is definitely less congestion, but the situation may slightly change once the academic year begins. We may see more vehicles on the road once schools reopen in the first week of June. Vehicles ferrying students may slightly contribute to congestion,” DCP (Traffic-West) S Girish told Deccan Herald. In order to fully evaluate Metro’s impact on congestion, police will study the traffic situation in the second week of June, he added.

The traffic situation doesn’t look so promising in eastern Bengaluru. There has been negligible reduction in congestion in Baiyappanahalli, Ulsoor, Indiranagar and the surrounding areas since the underground Metro opened. This is possibly because fewer people from that part of Bengaluru travel to Majestic, Vidhana Soudha, High Court, City Civil Court and the CBD for work or other purposes, police said.