Hellish Roads 7: Magadi Road

HELLISH ROADS-7
Traffic just doesn’t move here
MAGADI ROAD
Times of India

Magadi Road qualifies as among the five most dangerous roads leading to the city: for its structural impossibility and high accident rate.

Bangalore’s legendary founder Kempe Gowda is said to have hailed from here. Perhaps, the road he traversed in the 16th century from Magadi to Bangalore carried less than a 1000th of the traffic load it does now.

Historically, Magadi, a tiny town on the western rim of Bangalore, has endured an agrarian economy and the traffic was lean here in the 60’s and 70’s. But in the last 15 years, traffic has become a nightmare.

1 What are the problems?
Traffic moves at less than 1 kilometre per hour speed on some stretches. Reason for the slow movement is absence of underpass or over-bridge for pedestrian movement. Push carts and animal-drawn carts slow down traffic movement. No bus bays for BMTC buses, and presence of dozens of maxicabs. Dangerous inclines, gradients and sharp curves add to the mess.

2 What the police say.
DCP Traffic M.T. Naik said:
Road here was recently widened, but the widened portion has not been asphalted. Culvert near Sumanahalli has been dug up and traffic piles up . An inspector or sub-inspector has to be stationed here during peak hours to manage the traffic.

3 Traffic police plans to ease traffic. A flyover will come up at the Chord Road-Magadi Road junction. A signal light will be installed at the Dasarahalli junction.
Police have written to forest department and civic authorities to remove trees and electric poles which have come on to the road after the widening.

EXPERT OPINION

Prof M.N. Sreehari, traffic expert
Many persons violate the oneway rule, thus obstructing smooth flow of traffic; better policing required. Magadi Road footpath stretches occupied by vendors, and pedestrians forced to walk on road obstructing traffic.
Bus stops in middle of road; no proper bus bays.
Ban on push carts and animaldrawn carts should be imposed.
Better signages and lighting needed.
Better road engineering needed as vehicles find it difficult to negotiate the gradient and consequently traffic slows down.
Openings in Medians should be closed.
Strict police vigil is necessary on tempos, autorickshaws parked on the road obstructing traffic.