Barricades: Boon or bane?

Barricades: Boon or bane?
New Indian Express

BANGALORE: The mantra of safe riding at night is to follow the zig-zag pattern or ride at high beam, rather than follow lane discipline, or you are bound to barge into a road barricade.

Police officials install barricades at night on certain roads after 10 pm, in order to reduce accidents. But, people are at greater risk after that. Commuters say that the barricades cause more accidents, as they do not have glow stickers or logo of the traffic police.

Barricades should ideally cover a third of the carriageway at busy intersections near traffic signals to curb accidents. But their haphazard installation, in every possible place, obstructs smooth riding.

Ashish M, a BPO employee, said, “There have been many instances when people fell off their bikes when they applied brakes suddenly. It happened to me, too, on Mysore Road. The police officials should not install barricades according to their convenience.”

According to Chaya K the barricades, which are installed to check over speeding, do not serve any purpose, as heavy vehicles ram them and drive on.

“This largely happens on the highways,” said Chaya K, a commuter.

Commuters also say that in some places, where police officers stand near the barricades, stickers are not found. Vehicles invariably hit the barricade, especially near Upparpet Police Station.

“If people complain, the police officials threaten them and impose fine on them. They do not pay heed to the complaints,” said Gopala G, a shop owner in Majestic.