Metro parking lot coming up at Konankunte Cross. But will it worsen traffic woes?

The parking lot for Konankunte Cross Metro station is being built at a major traffic chokepoint, which would only hassle commuters, says a resident

BBMP is currently building a parking lot at the entrance of the road to Doddakallasandra, to make it easy for passengers to access Konanakunte Cross Metro station nearby.

But this road – Thippasandra/Doddakallasandra fork road off of Kanakapura main road – is an alternative for residents to avoid the dense traffic on Kanakapura road. It’s a thoroughfare linking Kanakapura road to Prestige Falcon City apartments (2500 units), Wilasa (150 villas), Munireddy Layout, Kumaran Children’s Home, Doddakallasandra, and further to Anjanapura Double Road.


Read more: Konanakunte Cross conundrum – untangling the spaghetti


Google map location of the parking lot
The triangular patch of land (in orange) is being developed as parking lot for Konankunte Cross Metro station. Pic Credit : Dr A Bhanu

The parking lot would be adjacent to the compound wall of Prestige Forum Next HyperMart along the road. Khodays Breweries has surrendered a triangular patch of land here, so that BBMP can widen the road in front of the HyperMart and build the parking lot there.

The triangular pocket of land, lying between the roadside drain and the compound wall of the HyperMart, would be about 10,000 sq ft. The road could have been widened at this critical junction, utilising the triangular patch of land, which would reduce accident risks to pedestrians and motorists.

Or, the land could have been developed as a green patch, possibly a mini forest, to break the monotony of the concrete jungle this area is. It could even compensate for the trees butchered by Namma Metro. It is not known where the substitute saplings for the trees cut have been planted. Now, yet another paved concrete surface is being created.

Triangular patch of land where parking lot is being built
Location of the parking lot, adjacent to Forum HyperMart. Pic credit: Dr A Bhanu

This junction is already a traffic chokepoint, and building a parking lot here would compound the problem. Especially once the HyperMart opens next April.

However, work on the parking lot continues at great speed. When this space becomes operational, the junction will become a severe traffic bottleneck and accident zone.

Ongoing construction of the parking lot
Construction of the parking lot is progressing at great speed. Pic credit: Dr A Bhanu

Read more: “Namma Metro till Silk Institute saves me Rs 10,000 a month”


Has BBMP obtained the views of traffic police?

BMRCL (Bengaluru Metro Rail Corporation Ltd) says they are trying to solve the parking deficiency issue at Konanakunte Cross Metro station. But the agency is instead creating a bigger traffic problem.

It is not hard to imagine the chaos once the parking space becomes operational and the contractor’s personnel along with vendors and food carts occupy the footpaths. Road users will be at the mercy of motorists.

However, there is an alternative solution to the parking problem that the BMRCL has not thought of. There is a dilapidated, unused factory building on the western side of the station, which BMRCL can lease. BMRCL has to invest in land to create passenger facilities. It cannot usurp public land and earn profits commercially in the garb of passenger welfare.

The proposed parking area is part of the road improvement work undertaken by BBMP from KP Road junction to Doddakallasandra village. According to the BBMP contractor, the triangular patch of land was being developed as a parking space for Metro travellers.

But is the land in question owned by BMRCL? If not, BMRCL should pay and acquire the land and create a parking space. It cannot usurp public land and lease it out to private parking contractors. BMRCL, however, has done just this at Jayanagar Rose Gardens and National College stations, converting parks into parking in the name of providing convenience to Metro travellers.

How can BMRCL encroach upon BBMP land, and how can BBMP, in turn, be a party to this?

Residents of nearby localities strongly feel that this parking space plan needs to be revisited and the concrete pavement be undone to create a public park.

Also read:

Comments:

  1. Dr Mohammad shafi says:

    This will definitely increase traffic woes, can already see street vendors occupying half of the street, it’s a big nuisance to go to Narayana nagar from this road which is the main access road to reach. Traffic police, please take appropriate steps to ensure smooth traffic at this juncture, already they were 3 casualties at this juncture.

  2. Chetan Harihar says:

    I Stay in naryana nagar 3rd block, I will have to use the same for my daily commute. This place is already a dangerous accident point. It will become even more dangerous, once the mall starts functioning there will be a lot of vehicular movement in this road and on top of that street vendors will also occupy some part of road and finally, this road will become too narrow for vehicular movement. It will create a lot of chos for traffic. I totally appose the plan of making it a parking lot. It would be good if that place is converted into some kind of green patch.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Similar Story

Pedals of change: Chennai’s shift to a sustainable mobility future

Prioritising bicycles over cars and promoting the use of public transport can increase Chennai's sustainability quotient.

The transformation of Chennai, from a trading post entrenched in the bylanes of Fort St. George, to a bustling metropolis with gleaming skyscrapers along the historic Mahabalipuram road underscores its economic progress and growth. The visionaries of the city exhibited exemplary foresight in establishing an extensive road network and suburban train systems that set a precedent for the future. The city’s continued investment in the Metro Rail, connecting important nodes of the city, is encouraging use of public transport. As per the Ease of Moving Index — Chennai City Profile report, Chennai leads the way with the highest mass transit…

Similar Story

ORR-Sarjapura gridlock: Govt, IT sector, commuters must collaborate for solutions

About 7 lakh commute to ORR-Bellandur; between 75,000 and 1 lakh live on and around Sarjapura, facing transport and infrastructure challenges.

The traffic congestion at Outer Ring Road (ORR)-Sarjapura Road has been a long-standing issue. To address this, Citizen Matters held a panel discussion, ‘Solving Sarjapura-ORR Gridlock’ on February 26th. Moderated by Meera K, co-founder of Citizen Matters, the panel included G T Prabhakar Reddy, Chief Traffic Manager, BMTC; Vivekanand Kotikalapudi, Urban Mobility Advisor; Mukund Kumar, Managing Trustee, Iblur Environs Trust; and Srinivas Alavilli, Fellow- Integrated Transport and Road Safety, WRI India.  Sarjapura Road is an integral connection to the IT corridor of south-east Bengaluru. ORR is completely developed with a focus on tech parks. There is currently a surge in…