Residents unhappy over traffic diversions at Sony World junction in Bengaluru

Residents of Koramangala are unhappy over the recent changes implemented at the Sony World junction.

The changes, made two weeks ago, aimed to reduce traffic congestion, and improve travel time on this busy stretch, traffic police said.

The junction witnessed frequent traffic jams from Indiranagar, Madivala, and HSR Layout towards Koramangala. To address this issue, traffic police placed barricades at the junction, preventing right turns towards 80 ft road from Indiranagar. As a result, vehicles were required to continue straight for 350 meters and take a U-turn at the Ooty Chocolates junction.

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Sujeetha Salman, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Traffic (South), insisted that the impact of this minor change has been positive on the overall traffic flow.

"People traveling from HSR Layout to Koramangala have experienced improved movement without traffic slowdowns. We have seen very positive results from this experiment, and we intend to continue it," she said.

However, local residents are discontented with the new arrangement.

C L Bhat, a member of the National Games Village (NGV) Consortium, observed a significant traffic jam during peak hours despite the police being present at the junction. "I plan to speak to the transport minister regarding this situation soon," he said.

A resident of National Games Village (NGV) said long queues form at the signal, after which they face heavy traffic congestion while making U-turns. “People staying in the NGV complex lose a lot of time this way and are very hassled,” the resident said.

'Cosmetic changes'

A resident of Koramangala 1st Block, a retired army personnel, argued that the changes merely shifted congestion from one point to another. "While the traffic police may have their reasons for implementing these changes, I haven't noticed any improvement in traffic movement so far," he said.

He added that the "cosmetic changes" would serve no purpose until the traffic police focused on strict enforcement of road etiquette among all users.

Will consider residents' inputs: Traffic police

Acknowledging the impact the changes are having on vehicular movement, the traffic police are willing to consider residents' inputs.

"Overall, travel time has decreased, but we have received mixed feedback from residents. They are conducting independent studies, so we will wait to verify their claims and implement their recommendations, if found valid," an officer said.