JOIN USWith autos off roads, driving on City roads turned easier and faster for those who had their own cars or two-wheelers.
A majority of them were seen cruising through busy junctions such as Central Silk Board, Madiwala, Outer Ring Road, Majestic, otherwise proverbial road bottlenecks, reaching their offices and intended destinations well on time.
“Today, I reached office in less than 45 minutes, which usually takes more than an hour. The delay is on account of slow-moving autos which occupy most part of the road. But it was not so on Monday,” said Ramesh U, a resident of Bannerghatta Road who commutes to M G Road every day.
Nirmala K, a resident of Vijayanagar, usually takes an hour to reach Cunningham Road, but on Monday she reached before time. “I did not know that commuting on City roads would be so much relaxing in the absence of autos. I reached office in 20 minutes.”
The traffic police officials too were seen relaxed and paying attention to other tasks. A police official on duty near Kamakshipalya bus stand said: “I normally spend a lot of time ensuring autos do not stop at bus stands and at odd locations obstructing traffic. I did not have to do this today. I am focusing on commuters not following traffic rules like wearing helmets or seat belts.”
However, B Dayananda, Additional Commissioner of Police (Traffic), said their job was not so relaxed in the absence of autos.
“Our job has been almost the same. This is because in the absence of autos, BMTC is plying more buses. Further, those who normally use autos, brought out their own vehicles and so traffic was almost the same. However, in some areas, people pooled cars and this surely reduced traffic on some stretches during peak hours,” he said.