City roads killing fields!

City roads killing fields!
Bad conditions, patch work to blame
Stop-gap arrangements
Vijay Times

Bangalore: The City’s badly maintained roads, which are filled with crater-like potholes has, become a virtual killing field to both motorists and pedestrians as the number of deaths and fatal accidents occuring due to bad roads has been on the rise.

With over 24 lakh vehicles zooming in and around Bangalore the accident rate is on an all-time high.

Till August 2005, 3,786 accident cases had been reported, of which 446 died, 424 suffered fatal injuries, 3,362 suffered non-fatal injuries and 3,034 suffered injuries.

The incessant rains lashing the City for the last three months has led to further deterioration of the roads resulting in increased the accident rate.

Speaking to Vijay Times, Dr J Lakshmikant, Orthopaedic Spinal specialist, Hosmat Hospital, said: "Every month we attend to 15 to 20 accident cases, of which 25 per cent occur because of poor road conditions and potholes.

The nature of injuries suffered in the pothole accidents also vary from the other accidents as most of the victims suffer from high velocity injuries. "Due to incessant rains, pot holes are multiplying and so is the nature of injuries as many cases of high velocity injuries are reported especially among the senior citizens who are prone to highvelocity injuries," he adds.

The accidents reported at government hospitals reveal an even more alarming statistic; in Bowring and Victoria hospitals, at least 20 such accidents cases are reported ever week.

Most potholes are filled using powdered brick with sand binders, which remain intact only for a few days. During rains, they re-emerge as the filling not been done scientifically , say experts.

What needs to be done is use triple-layer packing of potholes using bitumen (asphalt) or tar with th top layer of a sealing coat topped with stone dust Water logging on the roads, the main cause for potholes, is a result of 90 per cent of the roads ing a faulty design. Roads should be adequately sloped towards the sides, raised at the centre, so that the water is restricted to the sides.

Automobile engineers say if a four-wheeler (mostly the low-chassis Maruti 800) hits a pothole at 30 t km per hour, the impact could result in damages to the front suspension costing the owner over Rs 7,000. A bigger damage requiring replacement of the suspension and the lower arm of the chassis would cost up to about Rs 20,000.