Busy roads at the exit and entry points of almost all Metro stations on the popular East-West corridor have become ‘traffic bottlenecks’. With a sudden outflow of commuters, the roads are narrowed as auto and cabs wait for potential passengers, obstructing the smooth flow of traffic.
While a special provision has been made for buses, autorickshaws and rental cars to ferry passengers in SV Road, MG Road, Deepanjalinagar and Mysuru Road stations, others do not have enough space.
As a result, vehicles, mostly autorickshaws, stop ‘in the middle of the road’ to drop and pick passengers. This is leading to traffic hurdles particularly in the Central Business District (CBD) areas, where the vehicle population is high.
Issues ignored
Urban commute analyst Sanjeev Dyamannavar said that the BMRCL has ignored these issues while designing the stations. “There is no ample space for BMTC buses, autos and for vehicles which drop commuters at the stations. Delhi Metro is popular because it has ensured parking space for all vehicles connected to it,” he said and noted that not all stations have space for feeder buses and parking for Metro commuters.
Auto driver Shankar said the traffic police seized four autorickshaws for stopping at Majestic metro station on Wednesday morning. Unless there is organised space, there will be chaos. BMRCL should consider a place for autorickshaws, he said.
Future course of action
Acknowledging the problem, BMRCL spokesperson Vasanth Rao told Deccan Herald that the corporation was observing commuter movement to plan future course of action.
“We need a little time. We will coordinate with police on parking for multi-mode transport system. Autorickshaws cannot be blocking the entrance,” he said.