Death trap

Beware of this 11-km long stretch between life and death

On the road connecting the Sirsi Circle to the Kengeri bus stand, there is a death every 15 days.
Deccan Herald

Pedestrians and vehicles scurrying along the road connecting Sirsi Circle to Kengeri bus stand make it one of the busiest City roads. The number of road users who have lost their lives on this particular 11 km stretch makes it a notorious and dangerous road to use.

There is one death every 15 days on this road, which falls under Byatarayanapura and Chamarajapet police limits. Hundreds lose their lives on this road every year.

About a hundred vehicles zip in one minute on this road, which is an important connecting link road to Mysore. Horns blare and vehicles zoom, while accidents have become so much a part of this road. Though there is pressure on the traffic police department to check the accidents on this highly sensitive zone, the ever-increasing number of vehicles travelling between Mysore and Bangalore have only added to the problem while the accident rate is steadily shooting up.

Sample this. On the stretch between the Christian cemetery to the Muthurayaswamy temple on this road, there have been 157 accidents (till Sunday) this year alone!

In 23 fatal accidents, 24 people died. In 32 major accidents, 50 are seriously injured. In 64 lakh accidents, many have sustained minor injuries. According to police records, 279 vehicles have been minorly damaged (these numbers are not included in the previous statistics).

Though the cross roads of Mysore Road are included in these statistics, the accident rate on these cross roads is not as much. This strange phenomenon has raised many a question and there seem to be a number of answers. The stretch from Sirsi Circle to the Christian cemetery falls under the Chamarajpet police limits. From the Christian cemetery to Kengeri check post is the Byatarayanapura police limits.

About 75,000 vehicles travel between Bangalore and Mysore everyday, including KSRTC buses, goods lorries, cars and other light motor vehicles.

The road from the City limits to Kimco is narrow leading to a number of accidents. But who is to blame? Apathy on the part of the BMP, irresponsible driving by BMTC drivers, rash driving by autorickshaws, tempo and lorry traffic, absence of footpaths and number of pedestrians using this road, etc.

At the very beginning of Sirsi Circle, vendors have occupied the pavement forcing pedestrians on to the road. Same is the case near the Veeranjaneya temple.

At Guddadahalli bus stop, buses stop on the middle of the road, causing the entire traffic behind the bus to come to a halt waiting for the buses to move. Tempos and lorries are haphazardly parked near the Global Nursing School and Nayandahalli.

On the way to the City from Jnanabharti junction, concrete mixers are left on the roadside, making the already narrow road narrower. Autorickshaws are parked in no-parking zones and move only when they hear the police whistle urging them to move ahead. All these factors have increased the number of accidents between Kengeri and Sirsi Circle.

“Preventive measures are being taken from the beginning,” says DCP (East) Mitranand T Nayak. A proposal has been made to the government to widen this particular stretch and work is on in this direction. Mr Nayak says that the BMP has been requested to provide footpaths at Guddadahalli and Nayandahalli, but nothing has been done so far. It is said that lack of political will is coming in the way of quick action. Also, though neon road signals were installed in front of the Rajarajeswari Nagar entrance gate, they are still not working.

The yellow and black stripes, road-divider cones, laser stickers, which are supposed to ensure smooth flow of traffic, help little with the paint peeled off and with dust covering the stickers.

And accidents continue without a care for human life.

DEATH TRAP

On one particular stretch, there have been 157 accidents this year alone.
Around 100 vehicles zip past in one minute on this road
24 people have died this year in 23 fatal accidents.
Around 75,000 vehicles travel between Bangalore and Mysore every day.