Sir,

To encourage tourism, the District Administration has taken up Open Street Festivals during Dasara and Winter Festivals. Open Street fests are very common in foreign countries, where people move in a disciplined way.

However, as we know that there is no responsibility and road sense among our citizens, such festivals are not advisable to be conducted at busy city centres, especially from dawn-to-dusk programmes like the one arranged recently. Such celebrations may be arranged away from busy areas like D.D. Urs Road.

As Urs Road was blocked for traffic the whole day, traffic density increased at K.R. Circle and smooth traffic movement was hampered due to the mad behaviour of people, who opened the barricades at several places to cross the Sayyaji  Rao Road.

People became lazy to walk up to pedestrian crossing and failed to use the subway. As a result they crossed the road where they are by opening the barricades, which slowed down the traffic and even ambulances got stuck in the heavy traffic on this road.

People and vehicles were seen competing to cross the pedestrian paths on all sides of the K.R. Circle. Deployment of law and order Police to regulate the movement of pedestrians at the Circle should have helped the Traffic Police in discharging their duty in a better way.

Several KSRTC city services were seen moving towards Sayyaji Rao Road, which is not seen on other days. Many mindless drivers and riders moved when signal for left direction was on, but went straight hindering free movement of the vehicles coming from their right direction.

There should be some system in place to apprehend such people and punish. Several pedestrians were seen in a hurry to cross the road even when red signal was on for them and some did not listen to the Traffic Cops or Traffic Wardens.

As there was no major complaint on closure of D.D. Urs Road for traffic the whole day, at least now, the officials concerned may think of banning traffic movement (with prior publicity) on Urs Road and Sayyaji Rao  Road (from K.R. Circle to Ayurveda College Circle) from 6 am to 9 pm during Dasara  (either on all days or at least on weekends) period, so that public can walk on these roads freely without the fear of any vehicle hitting them, enjoy the illumination and do shopping. On such occasions, vehicles can be diverted to other roads.

– A concerned citizen, Mysuru, 31.12.2017

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