A stretch meant only for the ‘patient’

A stretch meant only for the ‘patient’

Deccan Herald

Bangalore has left many investors worried. Bangaloreans themselves are fedup, thanks to the choked roads. The city which used to attract the best brains in India, is no more a sought-after destination.

Deccan Herald has often highlighted the frequently encountered entity in the City - traffic jam. Here is one more effort to draw the attention of the authorities to address chaos on roads. Under Road Rage we are not only discussing the problems but also publishing the suggestions given by the citizens to ease the traffic congestions.



At first, it may sound like an oft-heard, overdone script of an infrastructure-based tearjerker. Agreed, the tale of Hosur Road, from Lalbagh Siddapura gate to the Diary Circle flyover, brings out woes similar to those faced by the rest of the roads in crumbling Bangalore — choked choc-a-bloc, manic traffic movement, pitiful potholes, fallen footpath and dismal road discipline. But what sets this road apart is an extra dash of melodrama.

This stretch, for an accident or trauma victim, acts as a lifeline as it leads to the hospital hub of Bangalore. Tragically, according to residents, the most common sight on this road is that of stranded ambulances, its siren blaring desperately.

Over 10 major hospitals are linked to this road, including NIMHANS, Kidwai Institute of Oncology, Sanjay Gandhi Accident Hospital, Indira Gandhi Institute of Child Health, SDS Tuberculosis and Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Chest Diseases.

‘Narrow roads, lack of policing and lack of sensitivity among other motorists’ are largely blamed for this state of affairs. Incidentally, according to traffic personnel, one motorist every five minutes is fined for flouting traffic rules on this stretch.

The road is also a major link to NH-7 connecting to Sarjapur Road, Anekal, and other cities like Hosur, Krishnagiri and Chennai in Tamil Nadu. Thanks to this factor, not just the city buses of BMTC, but also those of the KSRTC and Tamil Nadu Road Transport Corporation vie for road space. Apart from buses, four-wheelers form a major chunk of traffic, as this roads offers access to IT companies like Wipro, Oracle and Axes Technologies.

The BMTC is now being labelled as ‘trouble maker’ by the local population of Lakkasandra, Hombegowdanagar and Wilson Garden, following the construction of a bus bay at Shantinagar. Many buses from Jayanagar, Bannerghatta Road and Koramangala are being diverted through this stretch of Hosur Road to Wilson Garden and Shantinagar.

While vehicles are many, traffic authorities rue that there are not enough traffic lights in the stretch, thus allowing hap-hazard movement of traffic. There are presently three traffic junctions on this section, and manual traffic policing is done in two junctions during peak hours.

Traffic policeman Basavaraju, at work in the junction at Wilson Garden 10th Cross, adds that two and four-wheelers should be diverted to smaller lanes running parallel to Hosur Road.

Rise & fall of footpath

The lessons learnt on footpath by BMP officials in their study tours to Reno City seem splattered on the pavements of this road. There is an odd mix-and-match of different kinds of footpath, with gaping holes attached, in areas where footpath do exist.

After an initial stretch of 500 metres between Kidwai Hospital and NIMHANS junction where the footpath serves as a parallel street for hurrying motorists (thus risking the life of pedestrians), the footpath dies a slow death. Steadily vanishing as one progresses from NIMHANS to Lakkasandra, the pavement suddenly metamorphoses into ‘utility space’ for private tinkering shops at Someshwaranagar. After that point to Siddapura turn, pedestrians move over to the crowded Hosur Road as the footpath ceases to exist.

OFFICIAL SPEAK

N Nagaraj, Assistant Commissioner of Police , Madivala Sub-division: This stretch of Hosur Road does not offer any other alternative route, it serves as the main connection to the central parts of the city. The only thing we can do is road widening. The government is planning to widen 17 feet on either side to contain the heavy vehicular movement on this road.

CITIZENS SPEAK

Chamundeshwari Ramalinga Reddy

Wife of Minister R Ramalinga Reddy and resident of Lakkasandra

This stretch is a very congested area. The only solution is road widening for there is enough space by the roadside. While a few recommend flyovers, I think it’ll only add to the confusion.

Dr Satish,

Resident Medical Officer, Nimhans

There is a complete lack of internal discipline among motorists, and many do not even give way to ambulances. What we need is immediate action. Also, bus stops are located very close to signal junctions. This results in traffic stagnation.

Hanaa Rehman

Student, Bangalore Dental Hospital

Pedestrians are forced to walk on the roads as the footpath are not walkable. While road widening will ease movement of traffic on this stretch, equal importance should be given to improving the condition of the footpath.

Abdul Salaam

Intern, Rehabilitation Centre for the Handicapped

The route at Someshwaranagar leading to Indira Gandhi Institute for Child Health is a two-way. This causes chaos near Wilson Garden 10th Cross. This road should be made a one-way along with the Lalbagh Siddapura Gate.