ROAD-ACHE EVERY DAY

ROAD-ACHE EVERY DAY
Narrow as well as wide roads can be problematic. Here’s a study in contrast: Jain Temple Road near Shivajinagar and Sarjapur Road in front of St John’s Medical College and Hospital
TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Students at risk
Bangalore: Wide lanes are always a delight for motorists. But it can be a different experience for those trying to cross them on a daily basis. Zooming vehicles often leave their hearts beating in anxiety.
This is the plight of nearly 400 students of St John’s Medical College and Hospital on Sarjapur Road in Koramangala. Braving across three wide lanes in front of their college, to get from hostel to class and back, is now riskier than ever.
Lack of proper street lighting makes crossing the road more difficult. BBMP’s promise to build an overbridge here is yet to be fulfiled.
Previously a speedy one-way, Sarjapur Road was converted to a three-lane road (including a service road) in late 2008. With increasing traffic, St John’s Medical College and Hospital management initially agreed to fund an overhead bridge to ensure safety of students.
The proposed bridge was to be extended from the boys’ hostel and sports complex to the college and hospital on the other side of the road.
However, the BBMP offered to take up the project at its own cost. According to director of St John’s, Rev Lawrence D’- Souza, as per what was discussed, the project should have started in March 2009.
“We are still waiting. No concrete steps have been taken. We are ready to fund the bridge if the BBMP allows us,” he said.
The board of administration, students’ committee and parents have also raised concern over the delay. “We have to cross the road at least seven times a day. A few of my friends have tripped, fallen or suddenly got caught in the middle of traffic. Luckily, there’s been no casualty,” a student said.
According to a student committee member, vehicles are always speeding at night. “It’s hard for them to see us because the street lights are dim. Also, the road is too wide for us to cross fast as there is no signal. A skywalk or even a subway will solve our problem,” the student added.
BBMP has not given a fixed time to complete the work. “We are still at it. It will take another three months to start. We are waiting for an approval from the government,” BBMP chief engineer Gopalswamy said.
SARJAPUR ROAD
400 students of St John’s Medical College and Hospital brave across three wide lanes to get from hostel to class and back
Lack of proper street lighting makes crossing the road more difficult Bumps & bumps
Bangalore: Virtually unusable as of now, the narrow Jain Temple Road near Shivajinagar will soon get concrete layering. However, residents and traders are unhappy.
After two months of drain work and another month-anda-half of erratic preparation for the layering, their dream of getting a proper main road has only become a nightmare.
A quick walk through the barricaded stretch explains why. The narrow two-way lane has a large number of chambers jutting out in close succession. Many of them are almost 12 inches high. Even after the road is levelled, it will only make a difference of four inches. A majority of these ‘chamber bumps’ are almost in the middle of the road. With no proper street lights, people here fear accidents even after the road is laid.
“It will remain a bumpy stretch. This work is just an eyewash. It has worsened our business,” said S Mohanlal, president of Jumma Masjid Road and Jain Temple Road Jewellers’ Association.
Residents around the area are also angry. “They call it repair work, but we really doubt the sense behind it. Both the BBMP and BWSSB are to be blamed. Even the crossroads that were laid a few months back had rods used in the filling mixture. Here, we see only huge jelly stones. They plan to lay the concrete without rod grids,” a resident complained.
Work is taking place on this stretch in phases, meaning each stretch is under a different contractor. There are at least three contractors for just one road. But all the stretches are in a similar condition.
Earlier, the area used to face frequent water contamination. Drain work completed two months back brought some relief, but the number of chambers is now set to present a challenge for motorists.
ROADMAP
Jain Temple Street is a few lanes away from Commercial Street and Ibrahim Saheb Street. Used as a connecting road, it is too narrow and bears the brunt of heavy traffic all through the day.
JAIN TEMPLE ROAD
Narrow two-way lane has a large number of chambers jutting out in close succession
Even after the road is levelled, it will only make a difference of four inches