Junction of chaos cries for signals

Junction of chaos cries for signals

While motorists have reason to complain, pedestrians are crossing Indiranagar's 100 Feet Road dangerously, ignoring the sky walk

Odeal D'Souza

THE 100 Feet Road in Indiranagar is chaotic especially at the junction that connects it to the flyovers leading to the HAL Airport Road, Domlur, and Koramangala.
Vehicles from the Old Madras Road, Tippasandra, and 80 Feet Road also converge here. Lack of traffic signals adds to the congestion.
"This is a busy road. As many vehicles head for the tech park, there is heavy congestion. If traffic signals are set right, vehicular movement could be streamlined," says Sri Mahesh, a resident.
Gargi K, a public relations executive says, "I'm scared to drive on the 100ft road. There're many potholes and it's a bumpy ride. I think it a miracle to come out safely without the vehicle suffering a skid. The traffic flow is so heavy I don't know who is going to hit me."
While vehicles jostle for space, pedestrians hop from one block of broken footpath to the next, or scale the dividers.
Vishalatha, a student, says she often has to wait for 15 minutes on the median to cross the road. Since there is no traffic signal, she cannot cross the road. There is also the danger of being hit by vehicles as they mindlessly rush past. Most of them head to the tech park.
The junction is unmanned most of the time and there is no zebra crossing either. Pedestrians complain about lack of proper footpaths. Around the junction, the pavements are broken and badly maintained.
"I am a resident in the interior parts of the HAL," says Karthi K.
"It's difficult to cross these roads because of the lack of traffic lights. Vehicles suddenly emerge from the lanes and we don't know which way they turn. Even the pavements are not good," he says.
During peak hours or when it rains, the scene is the worst. The water gets clogged on the road. The stretch that connects Indiranagar 100-Feet Road to Airport Road has damaged walls with broken railings that are yet to be repaired.
Even as pedestrians keep complaining of road chaos, the skywalk, which has been constructed for them to cross the road easily, remains deserted. "Yes, we know that there is a skywalk. But we don't use them," says Mahima H, a student.
"We are used to crossing the roads this way," she says. - Odeal D'Souza