Here I go again, doing some hate mongering on the subject of flyovers.
Don’t know if you have heard. But Jayadeva Circle flyover has ended up creating 2-3 km long snarls before the BTM 19th main / Outer Ring Road cross. Traffic now gets backed up on top of Anand Rao Circle flyover itself, making me worry if the road bridge there was designed to take up that much ‘standing’ load. And the much hyped yet unfinished Airport Road flyover hasn’t helped commuters much.
Let me tell you plain and simple why flyovers are a bad and wasteful idea within the city.
1) Instead of multiple smaller and manageable jams, they create few large unmanageable jams.
2) They are expensive to build. Airport road flyover cost us Rs 25 crores, Jayadeva Circle one around 22 crores. Installing synchronized signals and recruiting traffic policemen will cost far less. Also, a flyover always creates the need for more in the vicinity, so there are ‘hidden’ costs to building one.
3) Flyovers are harder on pedestrians. Pedestrian walkways, if at all planned on flyovers, make us do some climbing. Since flyovers eliminate traffic lights, pedestrians are forced to take risks and cross through running traffic.
4) Flyovers discourage use of public transport. That is because flyovers are “perceived” to be good to drive on.
5) City gets a bad look. Go to Richmond Circle / Double Road area. Instead of the open and expansive feel of past, you have ugly looking pillars and underbelly of the flyover now.
If you agree with me, please contact BDA (call them, write to them) and tell them not to waste money on flyovers inside the city. All that money is better spent on traffic policing, road widening and traffic lights.
Filed under: Bangalore, India, Indian Traffic |
/India/Bangalore/things 
Good one, Pranav. I agree with you about the Jayadeva flyover – it is taking me longer to reach home after the flyover has been opened.
But some flyovers, if planned well, can do a lot of good. For example, the Silkboard ;) flyover… what do you think?
Shruthi, silk board flyover is the reason we need one at BTM 19th main now, and another at HSR layout that seems to be under construction now. This flyover is the reason we have jams at Bommanahalli every morning.
When the elevated expressway gets ready, the silk board flyover will be redundant, right? So essentially, the city burnt Rs 20 crores in a short term project. We could have spent that money to lobby for and expedite the expressway instead.
Oh, is that so? I hadn’t thought of that.
I agree with statement no to fly overs in Bangalore , some years back Bangalore had been beautiful ,due to its green trees all over the city , and for its lung spaces . Even the worst areas like city market , chikpet , cubbonpet were not so congested as they are now . Jayangar and other extension were peaceful without the mad rush of vehicles . Bangalore has grown enormously due to its concrete structures and peopele from all over india wish to settle here and make it their home due to the peaceful atmosphere and cool weather . Bangalore is bursting by its seems . The vehicle population has increased by twenty folds as such proper planning is required for smooth flow of traffic and not by fly overs alone ,which has not eased the conjunction of traffic other alternatives should be explored instead of fly overs alone which is not the only option