The Bangalore traffic police find it difficult to ensure order on Ramana Maharshi Road whenever high profile weddings and commercial activities take place at the Palace Grounds.
The police admit the situation goes out of control sometimes due to large number of traffic violations, especially at the entry points to the Grounds.
“Ramana Maharshi Road, in front of the Palace Grounds, is a very important arterial road. It is the main corridor for north bound traffic and towards the international airport. A large number of functions frequently take place at the Palace Grounds.
All this contribute to traffic chaos. There are three gates on R M Road towards the Palace Grounds. Two gates have access from inside towards the Jayamahal Road, while the third gate has no access to it. Hence, the problem arises,” analyses M A Saleem, Additional Commissioner of Police (Traffic and Security).
The traffic police have banned exit onto R M Road, but the road users are forced to use the entry points for exiting as there is no access from inside towards the Jayamahal Road, he says.
The traffic volume is high on the Bellary-Bangalore road. Around 6,817 passenger car units - PCU (a term used to count vehicles; three buses form one PCU, while a bike 0.7) use the road towards Mekhri Circle during morning peak hours, while the number is 6,267 during the evening peak hours.
The opposite road near Cauvery Theatre records 6,229 PCUs during morning peak hours and 4,498 PCUs during evening peak hours. Hence, the problems intensify whenever vehicles rush in and rush out through the gate on R M Road, he added.
Separate entry-exit
The traffic police prevent the entry of vehicles ferrying people to attend the major events inside the Palace Grounds through the three main gates on RM Road.
“We allow such vehicles to enter the Palace Grounds strictly through Jayamahal Road and exit from the same way. In fact, we give the route plan to vehicle owners in advance. We send the SMS alert to road users in case of traffic chaos and make announcements through private FM radios,” says Saleem.
Traffic rules violated
The police admit there are plenty of traffic rule violations during mega events at the Palace Grounds.
“Wrong parking accounts for the major violation followed by not wearing seat belts. The police book owners for all types of violations.
We deploy additional forces to ensure smooth flow of vehicles and orderly behaviour on roads. During mega events, around 600 policemen drawn from various ranks are seen on the roads guiding the road users,” says Saleem.
The situation has improved considerably in the last few years. The police plan the traffic diversions and restrictions in a scientific way before any mega event. They inform the road users about the restrictions and events through the media, he stated.