pedestrian woes - Road no smooth ride for motorists

pedestrian woes - Road no smooth ride for motorists
BY AKANKSHA MEHROTRA
BENGALURU


Palmgrove Road in Victoria Layout which leads to residential areas and a few major shopping complexes is heaving under traffic.

Worse, it is damaged and has no pavement for pedestrians. “The road is in a very bad state. It was dug up by BBMP for a stormwater drain. But after the work was completed BBMP forgot to relay the road,” says a resident of Victoria Layout, Girish S.

The traffic congestion started on Palmgrove Road when the road opposite Hosmat was closed for the stormwater drain work and traffic was diverted to it. All vehicles coming from the Airport Road and Indirana gar need to go through it. Leading to Lifestyle, Globus, Samyak and Garuda Mall, it is also used frequently by shoppers.

The narrow road therefore sees pedestrians, two-wheelers, four-wheelers and heavy vehicles. It takes almost 10 to 15 minutes to cross it to reach Victoria Layout main Road.

Moreover, in the absence of pavements pedestrians have a very hard time. “We cannot walk on the road as it has huge potholes that are filled with muddy water, and we cannot risk our lives by taking the road as it is jammed with heavy vehicles and four-wheelers. With no other option left, we have to walk on the boundary of the drainage or step on the broken stones lying at the corner of the road,” says a pedestrian and resident of Victoria Layout, Umesh Rao. The noise pollution upsets people who live in the area. “The traffic department should have thought of some other alternative road for diverting the traffic. This chaos has left the residents in deep trouble. But BBMP and the traffic department have turned a deaf year to our complaints,” says another resident, Sheetal Sehmi.