From 20 to 2 minutes: Hebbal flyover finally lets Bengaluru citizens breathe

Bengaluru: For years, Hebbal flyover was synonymous with bumper-to-bumper traffic — a daily trial of patience for thousands of motorists. Commuters approaching from Byataranapura–Kodigehalli–Esteem Mall side routinely spent 20 to 30 minutes crawling across one of Bengaluru's most infamous choke points. That reputation, however, is now a thing of the past!With the addition of two new traffic loops, travel experience atop the Hebbal flyover has turned almost unrecognisable. To gauge the impact on ground, The Times of India team undertook a test drive during the morning peak hour Tuesday. The result was nothing short of startling: A one-kilometre ride on two-wheeler on the service road from Esteem Mall to Hebbal traffic police station, with speeds varying between 40 and 60 kmph, was completed in just about 2 minutes 15 seconds.
The bike ride started at 10.34am in front of Esteem Mall, got on the Tumakuru Road loop (the stretch where vehicles would take anywhere between 10-12 minutes to get on the flyover) and terminated before Baptist Hospital at 10.35am. With traffic from the airport carriage converging, vehicle flow slowed down near UAS campus bus stop and at CBI junction and further ahead at Ganganagar. The bike reached Mehkri Circle underpass at 10.47am and got stuck in traffic jam for three minutes. By 11.05am, the journey ended near Chinnaswamy stadium on MG Road, completing the journey in around 30 minutes!The enthusiasm among fellow motorists too was high. "A few months ago, our car would crawl, we would pray for the traffic cop on Hebbal flyover to pause vehicles coming from airport-side and let us pass. But the scenario has changed, the flyover is no longer ‘Hebbal headache'," said Roshni Ram, a marketing executive. Commuters feel the overall travel time can be reduced further if the fresh bottlenecks at Ganganagar and Mehkri Circle are addressed. Sumit Jain, a PR professional living in Hebbal, said: "New snarls have cropped up from Baptist Hospital towards Mekhri Circle. At the loop's exit, a BMTC bus stop breaks the flow, and vehicles cutting across to the service road only make it worse. Time saved on the flyover is lost immediately after."Yet, outside peak hours, the transformation is far more convincing. Hansika S, who commutes by bus from Jakkur to the city centre, said the difference is stark. "Earlier, even during non-peak hours, it took 30 to 45 minutes by bus just to reach the Hebbal flyover exit. Now, I reach Baptist Hospital from Jakkur in about 15 minutes. Occasionally, I get delayed near Mehkri Circle for three to four minutes, but that barely feels like a hassle anymore."Deputy commissioner of police (traffic-north) Jayaprakash said before the opening of the loops, they deployed around 15-20 men on and near the flyover to control the traffic. "Earlier, there was this gating action (stop and proceed) that created bottlenecks and slow movement of vehicles. Now, vehicles coming from the airport, Kodigehalli (Easteem Mall service road), and KR Pura move in different lanes, undisturbed, and therefore, there is no traffic jam," he said. Now, hardly five traffic police men are seen near the flyover. Quotes with mugshotsRoad users are elated...As an artist, I commute through Hebbal frequently for rehearsals and programmes. Over the past week, travelling on Hebbal flyover has been a pleasure. What used to be chaotic and stressful during peak hours has become a comfortable commute. I save at least 20 minutes every day now, and I truly appreciate the govt's efforts-- Anuradha Vikranth, dance artiste and resident of SahakarnagarWith the new loop, three conflict points - traffic coming from airport side, KR Pura side and Goraguntepalya side have all reduced. Another loop that's being planned by the BDA from KR Pura towards the airport will also reduce the traffic. What is required now is pedestrian crossings as many walk under the flyover and cross those roads to catch buses to different parts of the city-- K B Rathnakara Reddy, infrastructure engineer and transportation expert.The loop is a temporary solution, it has definitely offered some relief to all those who travel from Manyata Tech Park towards Mehkri Circle. It would have been good if the up ramp on the ORR is widened further. The main challenge for motorists is not Hebbal flyover but the ongoing Metro construction-- Sunder Nileshwar, tech professional, Manyata Tech ParkTraffic was smoother in the first few days after the inauguration because of the New Year holidays. However, once offices and schools reopened, there are more vehicles. But it is still better than earlier when we would wait endlessly for the traffic ahead of us to move. Widening the road up to CBI or Mehkri Circle would help ease the situation further--- Santosh Sapate, regular commuterI have been using the Hebbal flyover for over 25 years to commute to my office on Residency Road. After the airport opened, traffic jams here became unbearable. Earlier, it took 30–35 minutes just to reach the flyover entry from Esteem Mall. Now, that stretch takes only a few minutes, and exiting the flyover is smooth. My daily commute has become much easier— Devaraj Gowda, Amruthahalli RWA memberAs a food delivery partner, I cross the Hebbal flyover several times a day. Earlier, it took nearly 50 minutes to travel from Sahakarnagar to RT Nagar due to traffic jams near the flyover. Since the new loop opened, the same trip takes just 15 minutes. Even during peak hours, traffic moves smoothly, and my customers are happier too— Ravi Kiran, food delivery partner----------------------------------------------- What traffic police chief said...With both the loops (from KR Pura and Kodigehalli directions) opened, traffic moves unabated at the Hebbal junction. This has brought down the congestion level significantly. In fact, vehicle movement on the flyover does not come to a halt now, it moves. Earlier, we followed the stop-and-proceed method for vehicles passing through the flyover (when vehicles in one lane were allowed, movement would be stopped on two other lanes.) But now, all the three lanes (the flyover lane and the 2 loops) are open to vehicles. Driving or riding on these lanes and loops gives a feeling of travelling in a signal-free corridor for motorists-- Karthik Reddy, Joint commissioner of police (traffic)