Airport road a killer highway

Airport road a killer highway
A T Subrahmanya | TNN

Bangalore: Deadly just about begins to describe the highway to the Bengaluru International Airport (BIA) which opened 47 days ago. Since then, car drivers are flooring the accelerator on the six-lane highway. The tally till now is most alarming: 13 accidents, 18 deaths, and 1,520 overspeeding cases.
The urgency to reach the airport, 40 kms away from the city, and the smooth road is proving to be a fatal combination. Though there is a speed limit of 80 kmph on the road to Devanahalli airport, most vehicles invariably exceed the limit.
Of the 18 fatalities, 10 were pedestrians, six were in cars and two on motorcycles. The number of vehicles on this road is more than 1.5 lakh per day and almost 15,000 vehicles ply every hour. The traffic per lane was around 2,500 vehicles and with the international airport coming up, around 1,700 vehicles have added to the present traffic. With this sudden spurt in numbers, traffic officials are having a hard time controlling the overspeeding offenders.
The accident-prone locations identified between Hebbal flyover and BIA clover-leaf junction are: Delhi Public School Junction (signalized), Kogilu Cross (signalized), Indian Air Force base station, Kempapura Cross, Kodigehalli Gate, Bypass road near Jakkur along NH7 and Venkatala/ Byatarayanapura, where pedestrians cross the road haphazardly even as vehicles zip by at 80-100 kmph 24x7.
DCP traffic (west) Panduranga Rane said with the increasing number of vehicles, cases of overspeeding are on the rise and correspondingly the number of accidents.
There are five signals in Kodigehalli, Byatarayanapura, Yelahanka, Kogilu cross and Baglur. As a solution to bring down accidents, traffic officials are planning to add three more traffic signals at Chikkajala, Vidyanagara and Sathalli, near ITC campus, introduce eight blinkers and five pelican lights which will help pedestrians cross the road. Already two of their interceptors — vehicles fitted with cameras that track violations from more than 300 metres — are being used on the road. From Friday, traffic officials are installing sponsored signage educating road users about lane discipline.
What is overspeeding?
Drivers going above the 80 kmph limit are fined Rs 300. Interceptors are also fitted with speed guns which measure the vehicle speed from a distance.
SOME SOLUTIONS
At DPS, a large number of vehicles take a right turn. An underpass below the existing NH4 for right-turning traffic is essential so that the signal and gap in the median can be closed
At Kogilu Cross, five roads converge connect and hence a signal is needed
For defence personnel crossing the road at the air force station, a subway is necessary which can take 2-wheelers, 4-wheelers and pedestrians
At Kempapura Cross, at least a pedestrian underpass is required
At Kodigehalli Gate, for vehicles to take the right turn to Hebbal, a subway for light motor vehicles and pedestrians is necessary
All gaps in the median to be closed and main airport corridor barricaded
Stay on KIC order extended
The high court on Thursday extended by 15 days the stay on Karnataka Information Commission (KIC)’s order declaring Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL) as a public authority and amenable under the RTI Act.
Justice N Kumar extended the interim stay on the KIC’s May 14 order on a petition filed by BIAL. The petitioner claimed it is a private entity and neither government nor an instrumentality of the government.
“Out of the Rs 2,000-crore outlay, hardly Rs 450 crore comes from the government, of which Rs 350 crore is by way of loans,” the petitioners claimed. The KIC passed the order declaring BIAL a public authority and amenable under Sec 2(h) of RTI Act on May 14. TNN