Iscon Circle vanishes, for good

The next time you want to go to Iscon circle don’t be surprised if the auto driver tells you there is no such place. At this point you can argue with him about how you saw the landmark of SG highway just a week ago or kindly rephrase your request to Iscon chaarrasta javu che (I want to go to Iscon crossroads).

What more, the dreaded traffic snarls that were a permanent feature of the landmark will also be now a thing of the past.  The rotary, as the huge roundabout is known in architecture, near Iscon temple was razed after the government decided to construct a flyover on SG Highway.  The roundabout was developed a decade ago when the area was on the outskirts of city. But with rise in number of vehicles, expanding city limits and SG Highway becoming a shopper’s paradise, the area had become a traffic nightmare particularly during the peak hours. But now that the crossroads will ease the traffic, both commuters and residents are heaving a sigh of relief.

“I used to avoid the route and instead take an inside route to avoid traffic congestion at the point. The traffic was horrible particularly during the weekends. The traffic snarl also added to the pollution,” said Himadri Mankad, a homemaker and resident of SG Highway. She said now that the circle is no more there, the flow of traffic will be smooth and it will be easy to visit the entertainment spots on SG highway.

But some commuters who have to travel through Iscon Crossroads feel that removing the circle has not helped in decongesting the road. Although they too admit that the time spent waiting at the crossroads has definitely come down.

“With the crossroads the time I have to spend waiting at the junction has come down. Earlier I couldn’t cross the roads without the traffic signal turning green at least thrice. But now because the flow of vehicles is smooth I don’t have to wait much,” Parshad Patel who commutes from Iscon crossroads to Nirma University every day.

Meanwhile, traffic department officials have said that a detailed plan to manage traffic on the road will be worked out anytime till December 24. Speaking to DNA, DCP (traffic), MM Anarwala said, “We will be strengthening our traffic bandobast on the stretch. Work on the stretch is on right now.”  Officials said that traffic management will also be strengthened considering the fact that New Year isn’t far away.

Yatin Pandya, a senior architect said that if there is a need to get a rotary it should be on the lines of what Gandhinagar has at entry points in the city. “The rotary like the one at Iscon should be removed from other parts of city, where it is clubbed with traffic signals,” Pandya said.

“Rotary and traffic signals do not go well with each other. Rotary should be developed at a point where not more than four roads are mingling. For rest of the city crossroads the authorities should choose either a rotary or a traffic signal. Constructing both will create mess on city roads,” said Pandya.