Introduction of a new traffic signal at Varthur Kodi junction, closing breaks in the median at three places and turning a crucial road into a one-way is forcing motorists to take a longer detour. Residents of Whitefield and Varthur are fuming at the changes introduced by the traffic police.
Police put a signal at the tri-junction of Varthur Kodi in the first week of September after closing three breaks in the median near Forum mall on Whitefield Main Road.
This has only worsened the situation, including traffic pile-up at the junction, say residents and commuters.
Pravir Bagrodia of Whitefield Rising says, “Varthur Kodi tri-junction was a bit confusing but it never led to a traffic pile-up. After the signal was installed and traffic cops began managing traffic manually, it takes more than half-an-hour to cross the kilometre-long stretch,” he said.
The closure of the breaks in the median means motorists have to travel up to Varthur Kodi junction before turning towards Varthur.
Adding to menace
Jagadish Reddy of Varthur Rising said that closing the breaks has added to the traffic chaos. “Most residential parts of Whitefield are beyond Forum Mall. With the closure of the median breaks, Whitefield residents who visit the mall, banks and Columbia Asia Hospital have to travel an additional two kilometres to get back on Whitefield Main Road.”
Facing criticism, Abhishek Goyal, DCP (Traffic- East) on Tuesday tweeted an alternative. He proposed removing the signal, but made the Varthur Road stretch along the lake a one-way till the Varthur Kodi bridge. This will increase the load on the already narrow bridge. “This is one of the proposed solutions being considered. We will run some simulations to test its effectiveness,” he said.
However, the new proposal has also run into opposition from locals who argue that it only extends the detour that motorists from Whitefield Main Road need to take.
Whitefield Rising claims that it was not consulted about the changes and have called for consultations over the issue.
