Bengaluru commuters face last-mile connectivity challenges due to the lack of a proper pedestrian path from Deepanjalinagara Metro Station to the Satellite Bus Station. The issue raises concerns over walking convenience and pedestrian safety.
Umashankar Karya
Bengaluru: The whole point of the metro network is to fix first and last-mile connectivity. But passengers coming from the Majestic side via Vijayanagar face a daily struggle to reach the Byatarayanapura Satellite Bus Stand easily.
Auto drivers demand double fares for a short drop
Commuters have no proper footpath to walk from the Deepanjalinagara Metro Station to the nearby Satellite Bus Stand. People have to depend entirely on auto-rickshaws. Auto drivers demand double the money for a drop that is just a stone’s throw away, leaving passengers with no choice but to pay up to reach the bus stand.
BMRCL officials regularly instruct their engineers during meetings to ensure smooth first and last-mile connectivity between metro and bus stations. Despite these strict orders, such missing links keep popping up across the city.
Mysuru Road is always packed with heavy traffic, leaving zero walking space for pedestrians trying to reach the nearby bus stand. Passengers getting down at the Deepanjalinagara station from the Vijayanagar side simply cannot walk safely to Byatarayanapura.
Who faces the maximum trouble?
Authorities built the flyover from this metro station to the Gali Anjaneya Swamy Temple many years ago. However, they completely forgot to include a pedestrian walkway. This design flaw creates massive daily hurdles for commuters coming from the Vijayanagar and Chandra Layout areas.
The civic body did build a small skywalk near the Gali Anjaneya Swamy Temple to help people cross over to the left side of Mysuru Road. But this skywalk fails to connect the Deepanjalinagara Metro Station with the Byatarayanapura Satellite Bus Stand.
Commuters wanting to reach K.R. Market from the Deepanjalinagara Metro Station have to walk all the way to the BHEL bus stop. Buses coming from the Kengeri side and heading towards K.R. Market or Majestic do not halt near the metro station at all.
Auto drivers are making a killing out of this mess. They easily charge Rs 40 for a very short trip. Sometimes, they even demand Rs 50 to Rs 60. Commuters have to either pay this steep amount or stand waiting for hours.
Pedestrian skywalk is the best fix: Metro MD
The Metro MD stated that he has conducted several meetings to resolve these commuter problems. He admitted that the metro network remains incomplete without proper first and last-mile connectivity. Building a dedicated pedestrian skywalk from the Deepanjalinagara Metro Station to the Satellite Bus Stand is the best possible solution right now. However, engineers first need to check if the road has enough space to accommodate the skywalk pillars. He added that integrating the metro with bus stands and other transport modes is highly crucial.