JOIN US'Simple redesign can solve traffic problems at Silk Board'
Vehicles moving from all the four directions at the same time with no accidents and no traffic light at the Silk Board junction. Sounds impossible? Not really, says Syed Imran, a civic activist who says he has a plan for redesigning the busy junction.
A resident of HSR Layout, Imran said he was frustrated about the constant traffic jams. Last year, his brother met with an accident in HSR Layout, Sector 1, and the ambulance arrived late because of traffic jams. He decided to do something and came up with a redesign of the junction.
He has made a paper model of the redesign.
According to him, construction of an interchange flyover parallel to the existing flyover at Silk Board junction, complete with down ramps, can be the solution to the congestion. The existing flyover, which connects Madiwala with Electronics City and vice versa, is badly designed with no ramps, he said.
“Those going towards BTM Layout, Singasandra and other areas located between Electronics City and Madiwala cannot use the flyover in the absence of ramps. In my redesign, I have suggested six ramps connecting to Hosur Road via the two flyovers,” Imran explained.
Input from experts
His redesign was ready by 2014, but he improved it last year with input from a traffic expert in California, US. Imran said the main objective of his design was to eliminate the traffic signal and enable vehicles to move from all the four directions — BTM Layout, Madiwala, HSR Layout and Bommanahalli — at 60 km per hour.
Zahid H Javali, a resident, said that presently people going towards Begur Road, Singasandra or Kudlu ply via Hosur Road under the flyover. “As a result, traffic jams have increased as all motorists use the lanes below the flyover,” he added.
Imran said he had sent the plan by e-mail to Minister for Bengaluru Development and Town Planning, K J George, and the traffic police who in turn forwarded it to Mayor B N Manjunatha Reddy for review. George is yet to respond to the suggestion.
Traffic expert M N Srihari said Silk Board was one of the busiest and most congested junctions in Bengaluru with vehicles moving at 4.5 km per hour during evening peak hours.
‘Good idea’
“The construction of another grade separator is a good idea but its feasibility and structure have to be looked into.”
Reddy told Deccan Herald that he would look into the redesign. But he added that since the Metro was coming to the Silk Board junction, no other work could be taken up immediately.