In 2016, Jeffery Archer visited Bangalore to launch his fabulous book. If only I could remember the name of the book. BBC News talked a bit about this event in one of their articles. They wrote – “While addressing the audience at the launch Jeffery Archer commented, ‘A woman walking on the pavement overtook my car eight times and my car overtook her eight times. Two more times and we would have been engaged. I’ve visited Bangalore many times in the past, but this time whenever I called anyone to fix an appointment, the directions came with a warning, “Start early to factor in traffic delays.’” According to them, fans smiled but those experiencing the city jams were not tickled. – BBC News, December 2016
According to The News Minute in March 2017, “Terrorists who attacked IISc in 2005 also reportedly targeted IIM, but did not strike because they got stuck in a traffic jam”. They write, “According to a report by Nikhil Gangadhar in the Deccan Herald, Bengaluru may be the first city in the world that stopped at least one terrorist attack using just bad traffic.”
The clogged insurmountable roads make it very difficult for commuters to maneuver around on a day-to-day basis. This is the state of events in most parts of Bengaluru. Koramangala, the once upon a time sleepy deserted village, is hustling and bustling with public transport today. In 1980’s and 1990’s this area was mosquito-infested and wasn’t livable at all. However, today Koramangala spread over 1800 acres is one of the most favored and expensive locations in this whatever is remaining of the green city.
Being in the heart of the city, the neighborhood is well connected to many parts of the city – Adugodi in the north, Bellandur in the east, HSR Layout in the south and BTM Layout in the west. The 80 feet road connects to Viveknagar and MG Road. The intermediate ring road links the Old Airport Road to Hosur Road and Electronic city.
Koramangala is an address to many stars and business hotels. There are hotels such as Davanam Sarovar Portico, Shilton Royale, Grand Mercure, Fab Hotels, BluPetal Hotel etc. There are many popular restaurants and lounges in this locality such as Punjab Grill, Spaghetti Kitchen, Sultans of Spice, Bay Leaf, Purple Haze, Fenny’s lounge and kitchen, Enigma the pub, Social, Barleyz et al. The malls and retail outlets in this locality include Forum Mall, Oasis Centre, Total Mall, Marks & Spencer’s, Van Heusen, Levi’s, Fab India etc. You can even shop in hypermarkets such as Spar or Spencer’s, the namesake etc.
The neighborhood has several reputed educational institutions, hospitals, and multi-specialties – St. John’s Medical College, RJS Institute of Management Studies, St. Francis School, Lawrence School, Carmel, Garden Public School, St. John’s Medical College, Apollo Spectra Hospitals etc.
Koramangala is a home to luxury houses, complex apartments, and even commercial spaces. The prices for both rent and ownership are exorbitant however we find companies and IT professionals spending the amount to rent property here. From a sleepy deserted village to an urban jungle, Koramangala is choked with vehicles and chaos.
According to an article in Times of India 2016, the Koramangala residents had been on the edge with the chaos that heavy traffic created. This is also the result of horrifying road conditions. The media professionals summed up the resident’s dilemma – “Our quiet colony has been transformed into a noisy neighborhood due to short-sighted diversions. I take 15 minutes to cross Sarjapur Road signal to reach my yoga class, which is barely 100 meters away from my residence”
Daily commute has become a daunting task for residents in Koramangala. Ontrack, a monthly bike rental company, is offering a wide range of two-wheelers for rent. They are affordable and a more efficient mode of commuting within the city. The two-wheelers come with multiple perks – unlimited kilometers, zero deposits, maintenance free and no lock-ins. Connect with our customer support executives to know more about our bike hire services.
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