ROAD TO DEATH

ROAD TO DEATH
Danger lurks at every inch on Highway 86, the treacherous stretch of Bannerghatta Road. Lack of signages, two narrow bridges and heavy traffic flow make it a potential death trap.
The Times of India


Bannerghatta Road, the first Private-Public-Participation initiative, and the stretch thereon to Anekal being relaid was always a potential death trap. Lack of proper road signages and safety measures on the stretch to Anekal proved fatal for two friends on a motorcycle in the wee hours of Tuesday. Accidents are being reported frequently, specially at night. The stretch is the much neglected State Highway 86: Bangalore-Bannerghatta-Jigani-Anekal-Attibele.

Around 3.30 am, the duo was coming to the city from Jigani when the rider accidentally went up a pile of rubble near a culvert under construction near Jangalipalya. The victims were tossed up into the air and came smashing down onto the culvert walls, between a 10-foot-deep gap. They were killed on the spot.

Angry locals said there were many accidents on this stretch which has two bridges under construction. “We are not against the development of the road. All we want are signages and red warning tapes so that there are no more casualties at such places,’’ Narasaiah, who owns a fleet of trucks, said.

The heavy traffic flow towards the industrial hub in Jigani and Chandapur makes this a treacherous road. It has now become worse, especially at night. There are neither reflectors nor signboards to warn motorists.

Danger lurks at every inch, with no reflectors or signboards to indicate the width of the road. At Gottigere, traffic backs up to nearly a kilometre at a narrow bridge. Here, locals take turns to regulate traffic. “Instead of dealing with blaring horns and clouds of dust, some of us stand at the bridge and regulate traffic regularly,’’ said Nagesh, a shopkeeper.

After Meenakshi Temple, at the city’s border, and Bangalore rural police, shoulders of the newly laid road dip to nearly 4 feet at some places. It took over four years for a 5-km stretch of Bannerghatta Road to be completed.

BEWARE
State highway-86: Dairy Circle, Bannerghatta, Jigani, Anekal, Attibele (around 60 km).
Capacity: 4,000 passenger car units (PCU) per hour. Currently, 3,200 PCUs till IIM-B, Hulimavu.
In 2005: 31 killed, 167 injured. 2006 (till April): 13 killed, 39 injured.
Traffic crawls: Local congestion, haphazard parking slows down traffic flow.
Bottlenecks: Jayadeva flyover, three big choultries, MNCs, call centres/BPOs, Hulimavu, Arakere, Meenakshi Temple, Kalkere, Gottigere, Bannerghatta, Jangalipalya, Jigani.
Road shoulders not adequate. In some places dips up to 4 ft. A minimum of 2.5 m on either side is a must, which acts like an additional lane during an emergency. Inadequate signages, street lighting.
Two narrow bridges and potholed stretch near Meenakshi Temple and Gottigere.