Residents chalk out ways to ease flyover woes

For Seva Nagar residents commuting was never easy - what with narrow roads and crossing railway bridges. The Seva Nagar flyover, which was built in 2006 and supposed to connect Baiyappanahalli, Seva Nagar, Banaswadi and Ramaswamipalya, has only added to residents woes and made travel more complicated.

With civic authorities hardly paying any attention, the residents  have decided to take it in their hands. For the last two months various citizen associations around Seva Nagar and Banaswadi have been meeting to suggest designs to modify the flyover that will make travel easier.

“We have met numerous times in last two months and finally we have a proposal that we think will work. We have met the corporator and the local MLA as well as MP KJ George, who have seen the designs and recommend changes. We have called for a meeting with BBMP representatives on Saturday and will present the proposal,” said N Venkatesh, member of the forum.

According to Venkatesh, although the flyover came up only about six years ago, it seems like there was hardly any planning. “The residents had requested a flyover mainly because of the railway track, where vehicles used to get stuck for hours at level crossings.  However, now the waiting has only shifted to either Seva Nagar, Banaswadi or Ramaswamipalya. The main road of the flyover is hardly 7.5 metres wide and was not suitable for two lane traffic. If an auto gets stuck on the flyover on the Seva Nagar side, within minutes there will be a massive traffic jam at Seva Nagar,” he said.

Moreover he added that the branches of the flyover - one towards Ramaswamipalya and the other towards Baiyappanahalli can accommodate only one lane traffic, forcing people to make unnecessary detours to Seva Nagar or Banaswadi to take u-turns.
“The road is an important link road that sees buses from Shivajinagar, Majestic, City Market and Banashankari. Vehicles from Indiranagar and Koramangala also pass through Seva Nagar. Yet the flyover and the road below are in a mess. We want to change this,” Venkatesh said. Proposed changes

Apart from widening the current flyover, residents propose clearing the area under it so that vehicles from Seva Nagar can use that road to go towards Baiyappanahalli. It will also provide a subway for pedestrians wanting the cross the railway bridge, which although closed sees constant pedestrian movement between Seva Nagar and Ramaswamipalya.

While the forum sees the support of the residents and local leaders, they have set a two-year deadline for the BBMP to consider the proposal and implement it or suggest alternatives.

“We hope they will consider it. The traffic movement on these roads are only going to increase in time. The sooner they do it, the better,” he said, especially considering that a multi-storey super structure coming up in Banaswadi will only add to traffic in future