[nkrishnap]

There was huge pile up of traffic near the TV Tower (Dooradharshan Kendra) coming from the RT Nagar Side. It was very unusual for the traffic to pile up from this side. The bazaar street leading towards fun world is also blocked and the road is under repair. Took a good 35 mins to cross that half a km stretch.

I am already worried about how it would be in the evening, as all mindless morons will block the oncoming traffic too from the other side.

[Soumyajit9]

Originally Posted by binand

A minor nitpick - world over, escalators are considered quite unfriendly to the elderly and the differently abled. I think you meant elevators.

Originally Posted by sagarpadaki

There are those slanting belt type escalators what we see in super markets having multiple floors where we can carry the trolley on the escalator. That would help. But the flip side is they need to be longer than a normal escalator to counter the rapid increase in elevation . Definitely possible

My bad binand. Yes, your point seems valid that escalators are a tad difficult for elderly. But like Sagar pointed out, it could be the slanting conveyor belt type, where you just go and stand. Infrastructure designing is difficult like Sagar says. But I wouldn't recommend a Elevator. It requires high maintenance, and in one or two days, you would see all the switches of the elevator gone missing !! Manning it would be expensive too.
Some research and study needs to be done by the civic authorities. I am no expert, but still have a better common sense than the civic authorities.

Originally Posted by ethanhunt123

You have a point - but i have seen FOBs in indiranagar and some other locations being hardly used. People still prefer to cross the road rather than taking pains to climb up and down. If someone puts a FOB, there needs to be a policeman fining people for jaywalking.

See, msdivy has a recommendation below. A policeman fining jaywalkers would bring some relief to motorists. I see that as a welcome move, if implemented.

Originally Posted by msdivy

For FOB to work, it must be easier than walking across the road. So make walking across the road impossible. Erect 5ft barricade on the divider. Seal the road 50m on the either side of FOB so nobody gets on to the road near FOB. This is the way it is wherever FOB are used anywhere in the world.

Absolutely agree with you msdivy. I was on Hosur road (near Hosa Road signal) last Saturday. The barricades erected under the BETL is superb. High barricades with plants in between. No one would ever dare to cross the road just like that. I saw people walking towards the signal and crossing road on proper zebra crossing. Why can't they erect similar high barricades to deter people from just crossing over. Rule breakers should be heavily penalised, whether he is a pedestrian or a motorist. That's how you instill fear of law. Then things start falling in place. A little herding is required for everyone.

Originally Posted by black_rider

My office window faces this spot, and I see the horror everyday. People have been given official notices to cross road under flyovers on either side, but I guess saving 5 minutes is more important than their lives. Authorities again don't give a damn for people's lives, and will construct FOB only after someone is martyred.

I see humans playing "Catch the chicken" at this point. It's actually a bad decision to force people to walk under the flyover to catch a bus. Even I wouldn't want to walk 300 mts after a tiring day at work. You know where the bad decision started. When they decided to build two flyovers (Bellandur and Intel) back to back. Why the hell didn't they just join the two of them ?

[silversteed]

Originally Posted by Soumyajit9

... I was on Hosur road (near Hosa Road signal) last Saturday. The barricades erected under the BETL is superb. High barricades with plants in between. No one would ever dare to cross the road just like that. I saw people walking towards the signal and crossing road on proper zebra crossing. Why can't they erect similar high barricades to deter people from just crossing over. Rule breakers should be heavily penalised, whether he is a pedestrian or a motorist.

You saw the wrong category of people, that constitute a minority. Since I'm kind of regular on Hosur road, I can tell you with conviction that the vast majority of people simply jump across the "high barricades with plants in between". I wish these ladies and gentlemen tried their luck at gymnastics, we have excellent talent here.

[binand]

Originally Posted by Soumyajit9

Yes, your point seems valid that escalators are a tad difficult for elderly. But like Sagar pointed out, it could be the slanting conveyor belt type, where you just go and stand.

Is an escalator or a walkway usable by a visually impaired person? Or one whose motor skills are impaired (one who can't get off the escalator quickly enough)? How would one solve the problem of a wheelchair (basic Indian type, fabricated from old bicycle parts) rolling off a slanted walkway? Force locking brakes? Then releasing the brake in time becomes the challenge. Anyway a lot of disabled in India don't have wheelchairs - is the wheeled platform that Mazhar Khan sits on in Shaan usable on an escalator?

[mpksuhas]

Originally Posted by binand

Is an escalator or a walkway usable by a visually impaired person? Or one whose motor skills are impaired (one who can't get off the escalator quickly enough)?

While your concern is valid I would like to add that on top all the issues mentioned the current system of traffic block also.
Though I agree a skywalk (with or without an escalator / lift) may not be the ideal set up, it would be much better than what is done currently.

I stay right next to this junction and see vehicles deciding to jump the signal when pedestrians are crossing. Able bodied youngsters from adjoining IT parks have tough time jumping away from the way of these hooligans behind wheels.

Along with this I fail to understand the logic in making a service road on right lane also for Bellandur, Intel flyover and Kadubeesinahalli underpass. I guess only thing it has achieved is make the usual (left side) service road small forcing it to be made one way near Ecospace.

[Rajeevraj]

Originally Posted by mpksuhas

Along with this I fail to understand the logic in making a service road on right lane also for Bellandur, Intel flyover and Kadubeesinahalli underpass. I guess only thing it has achieved is make the usual (left side) service road small forcing it to be made one way near Ecospace.

In addition I don't understand the logic of making a lane on the right and then closing it for traffic. The right lane of both the Intel and belandur flyovers have been closed to traffic for quite some time now. Initially i thought it was for some work. I see some work happening on the belandur lane in the last few days but I don't think that was the reason it was closed.

[guyfrmblr]

Originally Posted by Soumyajit9

But I wouldn't recommend a Elevator. It requires high maintenance, and in one or two days, you would see all the switches of the elevator gone missing !! Manning it would be expensive too.

I have seen a FOB with elevators which can accommodate 4-5 people at K.G.Road. It was inaugurated sometime early last year. I don't know the present condition of the elevators. But I haven't seen anyone using the elevator or FOB. The position of this FOB is little odd as its bit far from the Avenue road signal where majority of people cross. As you have mentioned, it'll be expensive to maintain.

[Chetan_Rao]

I fail to understand why there are two flyovers within 300 meters of each other in Bellandur? Why couldn't there be a single flyover, with an exit ramp on each side to get off for Ecospace & nearby campuses? The 300m stretch between the two flyovers is a death-trap, and I see numerous minor bumps and near-misses almost everyday. A matter of when, not if someone will lose life or limb here.

[Ravindra M]

Originally Posted by Chetan_Rao

I fail to understand why there are two flyovers within 300 meters of each other in Bellandur? .....

I was told that this special situation is because of Ecospace : go get full frontage on road to command the premium rents. I was convinced - we the common people always pay the price.

Originally Posted by Rajeevraj

In addition I don't understand the logic of making a lane on the right and then closing it for traffic. The right lane of both the Intel and belandur flyovers have been closed to traffic for quite some time now. Initially i thought it was for some work. I see some work happening on the belandur lane in the last few days but I don't think that was the reason it was closed.

I think the right lane is closed to avoid the jam under the flyover - people travelling towards Hebbal need to take an u-turn there and right lane moving traffic will create havoc. So all in all very bad planning and complete waste of the road width !

[msdivy]

Originally Posted by binand

Is an escalator or a walkway usable by a visually impaired person? Or one whose motor skills are impaired (one who can't get off the escalator quickly enough)? How would one solve the problem of a wheelchair (basic Indian type, fabricated from old bicycle parts) rolling off a slanted walkway? Force locking brakes? Then releasing the brake in time becomes the challenge. Anyway a lot of disabled in India don't have wheelchairs - is the wheeled platform that Mazhar Khan sits on in Shaan usable on an escalator?

Currently, there is no option for disabled to cross the road. Why FOB must provide this feature and add to the complexity of the solution? At bare minimum, FOB must provide manual stairs with shade from sun & rain. To support disabled, elevators can be provided on either sides. Adding escalator to FOB will increase project cost & maintenance cost.

[sandeepmohan]

Sick and tired of the mess at Krpuram, even at 630am in the morning, I tried out Indiranagar main street, domlur, old air port road, kundanahalli gate, sap labs, to reach itpl. Smoother flow of traffic and I reached work in the same time it does via krpuram minus the madness. The road surface quality is not perfect but then which road is in Bangalore right now.

[aajohn]

I really wonder what is the need for bikers to squeeze through every tiny gap.

Instance 1

Was at the Hope Farm junction waiting to take a left towards ITPL. Suddenly I hear a grinding sound. I look outside I see a mentally challenged biker trying to come through the gap between my car and the footpath. He just stared at me as if I made a mistake and fled immediately. Couldn't get his registration or give him an earful. The result, a wonderful scratch above the rear wheel arch on the passenger side. Luckily it isn't deep and I hope it can be removed at 3M.

Instance 2

A few days back, was coming down Agara flyover, and was on the left most lane as I was to take a left from the petrol bunk towards HSR layout. Suddenly I hear a sound - Mr. Biker and his antics resulted in him swiping the car. Thankfully no damage and Mr. Biker apologized as well.

Had the guy in the first instance acknowledged, I don't think I would be bothered so much. But the sheer look on his face, makes me feel like giving him a knock over his head!

[shankar.balan]

Originally Posted by silversteed

You saw the wrong category of people, that constitute a minority. Since I'm kind of regular on Hosur road, I can tell you with conviction that the vast majority of people simply jump across the "high barricades with plants in between". I wish these ladies and gentlemen tried their luck at gymnastics, we have excellent talent here.

Ha ha ha!

Every day near EGL on Inner Ring Road, where the great big Dell Campus is, I see hordes of highly educated IT worker type people carrying their laptop back packs and wearing a set, stern and "busy" expression on their faces, indulge in some deadly antics to cross the road without using the Zebra crossing.

You see, the Zebra crossing is mostly considered decorative - a monochromatic pattern on the road!

From these users perspectives, it is apparently quite a pain to walk all the way around and use it, so these "highly educated" young men and women, like to play "chicken" with the oncoming traffic on both sides, leaping with alacrity like gazelles, over the divider.

One day, this might just cause one or two of these "gazelle impersonators" to land with a dull thud on someone's bonnet...I just hope it is not mine!

[rohanjf]

Originally Posted by benbsb29

Any pics? Am curious to see how they have utilised the space on the sides.

Here are a couple of photos of the flyover. As you can see, there is a median. The road is broad enough for a car to overtake a bus. The problem is, buses do not go to the left side. They drive in the middle.

Also, lanes are not marked. I think they are waiting for separate budget to be sanctioned.

As you rightly predicted, the road below the flyover (to reach Decathlon, or SPT) is not repaired. The construction equipment has disappeared, which means the contractor considers that his job is done.

When you are going from Sarjapur side towards the city, you are greeted with bottom-scraping hump at the bottom of the flyover. This is supposed to slow down the vehicles to give way to those coming from Carmelaram and taking right on to Sarjapur road. Forget driving in the dark, I couldn't spot this hump the first day I drove in that direction at 7.30 AM!

the flyover itself is quite uneven and bumpy. As you see, the concrete sections where two slabs are linked, are still exposed.

Finally, some good things:
- a median that cannot be easily broken
- adequate lighting

Uhh. That's all .
Of course, no need to mention about not having to wait for train anymore, since that's the basic idea of this flyover.

And here's something that only cops can solve: since the time the flyover is complete, the left lane just before the flyover (when going from Sarjapur side towards the city) is occupied by 3-4 long trucks that carry cars. Some Tata dealer's stockyard is near Carmelaram, so these trucks are parked there, and cars are unloaded and driven to stockyard.

If I am not wrong, I have even seen trucks carrying Hyundai cars parked there. I don't know where is Hyundai dealer's stockyard though.

PS: I'll click some photos of the area around and below the flyover on Monday, when I go to Decathlon.

[benbsb29]

Seeing the shoddy quality of the flyover surface, you'd be forgiven for thinking this flyover existed prior to the widening of Sarjapur road! Thanks for the pics, Rohan.