K G Halli railway crossing a nightmare for motorists

Bengaluru: Narrow, uneven, filled with projections and depressions – those are the four lanes that converge at the Shampur Railway Crossing, near Ambedkar Medical College, K.G. Halli. This railway gate, more than 15 years old according to residents, has always been notorious for its improper construction. Approximately 1.57 metres in width, the extremely small railway crossing, when it opens its gates after a train passes, could at best accommodate two tempos at one time.

"Vehicles are coming from all directions into this small space, forming a jam. Once the gate opens, vehicles struggle to move right, left and the traffic goes haywire. The entry of a big truck worsens the scenario. When there are trains arriving continuously one after the other, the traffic builds up," said Ahmed, one of the vendors nearby. “The width of the crossing is insufficient.  Also, the roads leading to it are all curved, so drivers have to turn and cut through the railway crossing and cannot drive straight. The jam often continues for as long as 45 minutes," said Lourde Swamy, a resident.

Among those who suffer from the delays are patients in ambulances, going to or from Ambedkar Hospital. "Ambulance drivers from our hospital are well aware of how bad the jam gets at the railway crossing. Earlier we would get stuck in traffic while taking patients to the hospital. It would take 15 minutes to get out of the crossing because there are so many vehicles competing for so little space. Now we know better than to take that route," said D Somesh, Vehicle In-charge, Ambedkar Hospital.

When contacted regarding the issue, Corporator Netra Narayan said, " I have spoken to the railway officials about this. They have inspected the place and done the paperwork. We are planning to build an overbridge to help traffic move, but the problem is lack of funds. We are waiting for the next budget to get money from the BBMP and we are also trying to get some money from the Nagarotthana scheme. We will require 30-40 crores." Because of the delay caused by insufficient finances, residents and commuters will have to struggle with the crossing for another eight months, until the bridge construction begins.