JOIN USMetro effect? Traffic congestion on Whitefield Main Rd down by 10%
Two weeks since the Whitefield-KR Pura metro line opened to the public, police say traffic has eased in the tech hub but only just.
Special Commissioner of Police (Traffic) M A Saleem said vehicular congestion had reduced by 10 per cent on Whitefield Main Road which connects to the newly-opened metro line. “Once the missing link is established, we expect a 30 per cent reduction in traffic,” he said, referring to the KR Pura-Baiyappanahalli metro line.
Saleem noted that traffic signals along the main road have been removed, except the one at Hoodi. In addition, seven medians between Mahadevapura and Hope Farm have also been closed to prevent bottlenecks and ease traffic flow.
This dip in traffic could also be attributed to school holidays and weekend offs for techies, said a senior officer from the Whitefield traffic police subdivision. “The roads and footpaths have been fixed, which also contributes to smooth traffic flow,” he said.
According to a traffic cop, what used to be a 15 to 18-minute ride from Whitefield to ITPL could now be completed in 12 minutes.
“It’s fair to say traffic congestion has reduced and traffic flow has eased on the main road,” said another traffic police officer.
Some traffic has, however, moved to Marathahalli Main Road, causing pile-ups during peak hours, the senior officer said.
Saleem noted that this had nothing to do with the metro line. “As about 60 per cent of the IT force has returned to the office, traffic on Marathahalli Main Road has increased, causing bottlenecks during peak hours. We have shifted buses to the service road and made it one-way after banning parking on it to improve traffic on the outer ring road,” he explained.
A Whitefield resident said a lot needed to be done to see a significant impact of the metro on traffic.
“Government agencies need to coordinate to ensure that metro ridership increases and people reduce using their private vehicles. This includes fixing the feeder bus frequency between KR Pura and Whitefield metro stations, allotting parking space, introducing pre-fixed and shared auto stands, and building a foot overbridge,” she said.
There is also a need for awareness campaigns highlighting the benefits of public transit over private transport to change the public’s mindset about buses and the metro, she added.
BMRCL officials have said that they are waiting for a month for metro ridership to stabilize. Currently, about 23,000 people take the metro between Whitefield (Kadugodi) and KR Pura. Ridership is expected to increase once the Baiyappanahalli-KR Pura line opens.