Karnataka - Bangalore

And miles to go before we make any progress

— Photo: K. Murali Kumar

NO PLACE FOR PEDESTRIANS: A stretch of Bellary Road between CBI Junction and Anandnagar Junction which is always choked with vehicles because of road-widening work.

BANGALORE: The brand new road to the airport (NH 7) was completed just in time to usher in the city’s international status with the Bengaluru International Airport (BIA) — at least, on record. A recce down this “signal-free”, “motorist-friendly” road shows that it is far from complete, and the most glaring casualty is the humble pedestrian.

Narrow service roads, non-existent pavements, a constant stream of high-speed vehicles and zero facilities for pedestrians to cross: these distinguish this highway.

Caught in a quandary between multiple authorities — BBMP, NHAI and BDA — this road has earned the distinction of “killer highway”. While 17 people died in the first six weeks of its opening, the newly-opened Chikkajala police station has recorded 17 deaths (all pedestrians) and 65 accidents in August and September.

The road to the airport, starting at Mehkri Circle, has no pavement at all. BBMP authorities say the open storm water drains are to double up as three-metre wide pavements.

However, with the roads dug up for widening, the pedestrian is left to fend for himself amid the onrush of vehicles.

Add to this the fact that none of the bus stops (all the way to BIA) have shelters. With only a blue board to mark the location, commuters press themselves against barricades (which separate the road from the service lanes) and say their prayers.

Maitreyi Raghavan, a commuter, says: “We have stood there ankle-deep in water for hours. It has been over six months now since the shelter was demolished; when do they plan to build another?”

S. Krishna Reddy, Chief Engineer (BBMP-Major Roads), says two pedestrian underpasses — near BDA and Hebbal Police Station — will open within a week, and two more are on the anvil.

“This will solve many woes of the pedestrians. Moreover, we have called tenders for two automated skywalks (with escalators) too,” he said.

Progressively, the situation gets worse on the National Highway where there are continuous barricades for kilometres. People either jump or break these yellow barricades to be able to cross the road, all of which is risky considering there is substantial traffic in the service lanes.

Like most National Highways, this one too slices through several villages: Sadahalli, Chikkajala, Vidyanagar and Devanahalli to name a few.

Saraswathi and her two children live on the eastern side of the National Highway at Chikkajala.

The influx of traffic has divided her family.

“My mother lives on the other side and my children cannot be sent unsupervised. Several men and workers have died in the past few months,” she said.

The Chikkajala police station might be adequately staffed by normal standards; however, the police find it difficult to control the manic traffic, especially after dusk.

“We are afraid while manning the traffic as cars come at speeds as high as 120 kmph. Most people here are workers and head-load workers. They are not used to this ambush,” a policeman said.

From Vidyanagar onwards, the frequency of policemen on the roads keeps on increasing. The Chikkajala police have booked 2,309 cases in the past two months.

Policemen complain that there are no streetlights from Bettahalasuru Cross to Chikkajala, which makes it impossible to man the traffic. “There aren’t enough road signs nor is the road lit. It is precarious for us also, leave alone the uneducated people in the area,” as a policeman puts it.

Earlier this year, it was announced that work on the much-awaited four-km six-lane elevated road between Hebbal and Yelahanka bypass, expected to ease congestion, will start in November.

Sources in the NHAI say the project is awaiting approval. An RTI response obtained in August from the NHAI lists a slew of projects, including flyovers at Bettahalasur, Yelahanka bypass, service lane widening, highway illumination and even a cattle underpass.

Besides the fact that no one moved even five months later, they do not take into account pedestrians or residents of the area.

These projects, if and when taken up, will take two years to execute.

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