Medians pose traffic hurdles

Medians pose traffic hurdles
CHANDRASHEKAR G.
DC | BENGALURU


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● ROAD DIVIDERS OFTEN INCREASE CONGESTION INSTEAD OF REDUCING IT

Is there anythingscientific at all about what the BBMP and the traffic police do in the name of helping commuters? The more they do, the greater the problems they seem to create.
Take medians and road dividers for instance. Anyone will tell you that in most cities medians and road dividers are meant to regulate traffic and prevent accidents.

But in Bengaluru both medians and road dividers have become a traffic hazard in many areas, posing a threat to motorists and pedestrians. Their presence often increases congestion on the roads, which become narrower as the wide bases of the medians occupy quite a bit of space, leaving lesser room for vehicles. “Crossing a road where tall dividers have been placed is a daunting task,” says a pedestrian Ram Mohan, pleading with the traffic police and the BBMP to change the design of the dividers to make them more people-friendly.

He points out that traffic has been known to come to a grinding halt if a big vehicle breaks down in the middle of the road as the medians leave little room for maneovre.

Traffic expert and advisor to the state government M.N. Srihari is clear that no real thought goes into laying medians in the city.” Have the BBMP or the traffic police consulted any traffic expert before erecting these dangerous medians?” he asks, pointing out that road dividers must be placed in accordance with traffic norms and guidelines on safety of vehicles and pedestrians.

“For urban roads, the maximum height of a median is prescribed at 30 cms and for highways it is 45 cms for reasons of safety and preventing accidents. Also, a median must be painted n yellow and black for visibility at night,” he explains.

Prof. Srihari adds a median must be flexible enough to ensure that even when a vehicle crashes into it the driver is not hurt. “If a vehicle crashes into the medians, not only will it be damaged, but there is very little chance of the driver surviving,” he regrets.