The Puttenahalli Main Road at the Brigade Millennium arch is chaotic during the peak morning and evening hours. Now a traffic signal at Brigade Millennium arch on Puttenahalli Main Road has been approved!
The chaotic junction at night. Pic: O P Ramaswamy.
PNLIT representatives had discussed the feasibility of getting a signal, with our Puttenahalli Corporator L Ramesh, but we were not sure if the junction would satisfy the requirements of the Traffic Police, that justify the investment. What better way to find out than by putting the Traffic Police on the job!
Our message to the Traffic Police Commissioner, Praveen Sood, in mid-June read:
"The Puttenahalli Main Road in JP Nagar 7th Phase, at the junction of Brigade Millennium arch is in urgent need of some traffic control. The intersection of the two roads leads to Kanakapura Road on one end and Bannerghatta Road on the other and vehicular traffic is virtually uncontrollable. Sometimes, the junction is manned by a policeman. For pedestrians, the road is practically not crossable during the peak hours. Request the Traffic Police to please have a traffic signal put at this junction so that traffic gets under control.”
Within two weeks of sending the request, Inspector Nagaraj (of Jayanagar) and Inspector Dharnesh (who was in-charge of the junction at the time – he has now moved to a different police station), visited the junction to assess the need for a signal and invited me to join them. They observed the traffic for a while and spoke to nearby shopkeepers and pedestrians to get their views. They concluded that, presently, the need for a signal is during the peak morning and evening hours.
However, given that Arekere Mico Layout is now directly connected to Puttenahalli Main Road, through L&T South City Road and Nataraja Layout Road, and as Elita Promenade will get fully occupied in the near future, traffic is likely to get heavier.
A signal is worth the investment, they concluded, but informed me that further inspections would be made by the final deciding authorities. They also observed the need for other steps, such as relocation of the bus stops, to ease congestion.
Subsequently, in early July, Inspector M D Hari who took over from Inspector Dharnesh, took the matter forward by carrying out his own inspection. He observed that a four road converging junction, three with medians and one without, with the kind of volume it handles during peak hours, definitely needed a signal. He promptly took up the issue with his higher officers. Barely a month from making the request, Inspector Hari informed us that the signal has been approved and that work will commence soon.
Kudos to the Traffic Police for their swift action. ⊕