Towards a safer city commute

Towards a safer city commute
Medians, sky bridges and safety accessories are being introduced on busy roads to make commuting safer, says Leena Mudbidri


Ever since the city's traffic snarls have been increasing by the day, the civic bodies concerned with traffic management and road networks have been going at it hammer and tongs to ease the congestion and to try and make commuting in the city a safe option.
Besides working at making movement of traffic along the city's main roads more streamlined, the traffic police are aiming towards making the roads pedestrian-friendly too with the introduction of medians, sky bridges and safety street furniture.
Medians
Launched on a trial basis, medians were installed on Hosur Road starting from the Forum Mall to Adugodi traffic police station to make traffic movement slower and more disciplined. According to ACP Ravindra Prasad of Adugodi traffic police station, who spearheaded the project, "The medians have proved to be successful in maintaining traffic speed under specified limits. The traffic is slow and there have been less number of accidents reported."
Moreover, what's even more positive is the feedback from pedestrians in the area. "The installation of the medians is also beneficial to pedestrians who often wait for hours before they can cross the road. Due to the slow movement of vehicles, they can cross the road comfortably," informs Prasad.
With the success of the pilot project of medians, the traffic police have extended the medians all along the busy Hosur Road right up to the Roman Catholic cemetery.
Proposals for more such medians have been made to the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP). "We have asked the BBMP to make provisions for medians along the bustling Bannerghatta Road, opposite Bangalore Dairy, towards Anepalya junction, as well as from Krupanidhi College along Sarjapur Road towards Agaram Junction," says Prasad. Once this is introduced, traffic movement on this route will be considerably disciplined and streamlined.
Footpaths and sky
bridges
Suggestions have been made by the traffic police to have footpaths for pedestrians on the various flyovers in the city. "Having a three-feet wide footpath on either side of the road and the flyover can be serve to be a pedestrianfriendly option for those who would like to use the flyover for walking over or even sight-seeing purposes," opines the ACP.
The steady movement of vehicles most often makes it difficult for pedestrians to cross the roads even with the zebra crossing marked at most busy traffic signals. "Having sky bridges at a permissible height at crucial traffic bottlenecks could ease pedestrian movement to a certain extent," says Prasad. "It is heart-rending to see patients and their guardians waiting for hours opposite St John's Hospital on Sarjapur Road to cross the road riddled with heavy traffic," he points out. "If a sky bridge of a permissible height is installed here, it would certainly benefit pedestrians. Moreover, these sky bridges can be organised through a public-private partnership with builders, realty firms and shopping mall owners too," he says.
Street furniture
Along with the installation of reflectors on centre medians, cats' eyes on speed breakers and hazard boards have been proposed along main roads.