Coming soon: Pedestrian relief at K R Puram station

Pedestrians at Tin Factory junction waiting to cross have two options before them: Wait endlessly or dodge speeding traffic, however dangerous that may be. Fortunately, that will soon change with Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) deciding to construct a skywalk at the K R Puram railway station, below the cable-stayed bridge. The Rs 83-lakh project is likely to start once the tender process gets over by next month. With traffic density being 12,000 passenger car units (PCUs) here, the BDA was flooded with complaints from pedestrians and local residents that it was very tough for them to cross the road below the bridge. V Muthayan, a regular walker, said, “The pedestrian situation near K R Puram railway station is very bad as there is no subway. It is becoming difficult for the public to cross the road and traffic up to the Tin Factory flyover crawls in the morning. There is a risk of accident due to speeding vehicles.” BDA commissioner Bharat Lal Meena told Bangalore Mirror, “When I was the BBMP commissioner, I had taken the initiative to construct the skywalk before the cable-stayed bridge. The problem was not solved and traffic below the bridge is still very bad. Pedestrians coming from behind the K R Puram railway station have to wait for a long time to cross the road. And once they start crossing, vehicular movement is affected. “Now, we have decided to extend the skywalk to connect it to the Outer Ring Road leading to the International Tech Park. The skywalk below the cable-stayed bridge will allow pedestrians to walk freely.” Wider roads soon The area witnesses traffic jams as early as 6:30 am. With BMTC buses, cars and autorickshaws stopping near the vent to pick up train passengers, traffic flow towards ITPL and Marathahalli is reduced to a crawl. But BDA promises that the situation will soon change. “We have acquired land from the South Western Railway to widen the road,” said Meena. The road-widening project is aimed at decongesting the area and allowing not only two-wheelers and four-wheelers but also public transport under the bridge. According to the plan, the road will be widened by 5.5 metres on either side. A few shops will have to be demolished to make way for the road.