Road hell for pedestrians

Road hell for pedestrians
BY SANCHITA SEN
BENGALURU








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Though Forum Mall is a haven for shoppers, the road leading to it is nothing short of hell for pedestrians.

The Adugodi Road and Koramangla Main Road junction is so busy during peak hours that it becomes virtually impossible for pedestrians to cross that road. Pedestrians say they are forced to run through moving traffic to cross the road.

“Crossing the road here is very risky. There has to be proper traffic management and pedestrians should be given time to cross the road,” says Dr M. Muni Reddy, president, Koramangla Residents’ Welfare Association.

He adds that the flow of traffic in Koramangala has increased after Forum Mall came up and gross mismanagement of traffic at the junction made the problem worse.

The junction has traffic flow from three areas — Koramangala, Adugodi and Madivala.

“It is a prime junction through which vehicles from different directions pass, so it is important that traffic there is managed well. People running in between traffic is not just dangerous for pedestrians; it also makes it difficult motorists to drive or ride,” says Dr Reddy.

“No where in the world do authorities sit back and allow people to make their way through busy traffic to cross the road,” he says.

However, Adugodi Police Station traffic inspector Ravi Shankar says that ‘ things will soon be set right. “There is a median at the junction which does not allow vehicles to turn. We have already written to Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike, asking that the median be removed,” he says. “We know that it is difficult for pedestrians to cross the road especially during peak hours between 6 pm and 8 pm, so we have deployed extra traffic wardens there.” Mr Ravi Shankar explains that during peak hours time there is a sudden rush of over 3,000 pedestrians.