Mangaluru councillors on Wednesday expressed the need to restore two-way vehicular movement between Clock Tower and A.B. Shetty Circle by abolishing the present loop movement of vehicles on the Clock Tower-A.B. Shetty Circle-Hamilton Circle-Rao and Rao Circle-Clock Tower circuit.
During the traffic management meeting, chaired by Mayor Sudheer Shetty Kannur here, Port Ward councillor Abdul Latheef said the city police should restore two-way movement of vehicles between A.B. Shetty Circle and Clock Tower. Traffic on the road passing through Rosario Church, which is a school zone, should be better regulated, he said.
Mangaladevi ward councillor Premanand Shetty said funds from the Smart City project were used to widen the road to have loop movement of vehicles. This loop movement has caused problem at Hamilton Circle where entry of vehicles from Bunder was allowed following protest. It has become difficult for pedestrians to cross the road from the RTO.
The MCC has to resolve it by taking opinion of the city police. “Otherwise we will face severe backlash from people,” he said.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime and Traffic) B.P.Dinesh Kumar said loop movement was done after removing medians on the stretch and having wide pavements.
“The present carriageway will be too narrow to restore two-way traffic. Pavements have to be made narrow to allow two-way movement.”
Mr. Kumar said following loop movement, the city buses were now operating from the service bus stand and buses stop on the stretch between Clock Tower and A.B. Shetty Circle. “Buses need extra space.”
There will be problem allowing entry of vehicles coming from A.B. Shetty Circle towards railway station near the mini Vidhana Soudha. The city police have to consider all these issues, Mr. Kumar said.
