<p>Bommanahalli Circle on Hosur Road has become an accident hot spot. A majority of mishaps are caused by speeding motorbikes and cars.<br /><br /></p>.<p> And to add to commuters’ woes, there are no traffic cops manning the junction which witnesses prolonged traffic jams every day.<br /><br />Manjunath S, a tractor driver, says: “I see at least one accident every two weeks and the police take about an hour to respond as they are on the other side of the flyover.”<br /><br />Most of the accidents take place as early as six in the morning and others occur during evening peak hours. “The worst accidents occur between 7:30 pm and 8:30 pm when people return from work. <br /><br />The traffic grows denser around this time and it takes hours before the police or ambulance get here in case of an accident. It takes even longer for them to clear the road,” says Anil Kumar, a pharmacy owner. Pedestrians too usually wait for about 10-15 minutes before it is safe for them cross the road.<br /><br />Tumkur Road stretch<br /><br />Accidents caused by heavy transport vehicles, victims left unattended to by traffic officials, and residents rushing to help the victims. This is the scenario at the Tumkur Road stretch from Yeshwantpur Railway Station to Nelamangala. <br /><br />Yeshwantpur has three police and fire stations, but that still does not help matters as commuters complain that it is usually the local residents who help the accident victims and not the police.<br /><br />Road widening and construction of a flyover have not reduced accidents. To make matters worse, a gang of local boys allegedly prey on accident victims and steal their belongings like jewellery, money and watches. Vishwa S H, proprietor of Vijayanand Travels, says, “Thefts take place during accidents when the injured are being attended to. This is something against which no action has been taken. Nobody has bothered to register complaints against such thefts.”<br /><br />About ten to fifteen accidents take place every day because of the haphazard barricades put up for Metro construction. What pedestrians do is try and make their way through gaps in the fence boards, he adds.<br /><br />Bannerghatta Road<br /><br />One of the longest roads in the City, the Bannerghatta Road too has turned into an accident hot spot, thanks to congestion and rash driving. The road is not wide enough to handle the humongous flow of vehicles.<br /><br /> Even during non-peak hours, motorists drive their vehicles rashly. Devegowda S (name changed), an employee at a local pharmacy on Bannerghatta Road, says there’s at least one fatal accident along the stretch every day. Most of the accidents take place between late evening and night.<br /><br />Nagabhushan, a traffic cop, says: “People do not co-operate with us... They choose to ignore rules, endangering their own lives and those of others. The main reason for accidents along this road is lack of awareness of traffic rules, and drunk driving.”<br /><br />Most accidents take place during morning rush hours or at night. “Accidents due to drunk driving occur between 6:30 pm and 11:30 pm despite us checking drivers for drunk-driving,” says Nagabhushan.</p>
<p>Bommanahalli Circle on Hosur Road has become an accident hot spot. A majority of mishaps are caused by speeding motorbikes and cars.<br /><br /></p>.<p> And to add to commuters’ woes, there are no traffic cops manning the junction which witnesses prolonged traffic jams every day.<br /><br />Manjunath S, a tractor driver, says: “I see at least one accident every two weeks and the police take about an hour to respond as they are on the other side of the flyover.”<br /><br />Most of the accidents take place as early as six in the morning and others occur during evening peak hours. “The worst accidents occur between 7:30 pm and 8:30 pm when people return from work. <br /><br />The traffic grows denser around this time and it takes hours before the police or ambulance get here in case of an accident. It takes even longer for them to clear the road,” says Anil Kumar, a pharmacy owner. Pedestrians too usually wait for about 10-15 minutes before it is safe for them cross the road.<br /><br />Tumkur Road stretch<br /><br />Accidents caused by heavy transport vehicles, victims left unattended to by traffic officials, and residents rushing to help the victims. This is the scenario at the Tumkur Road stretch from Yeshwantpur Railway Station to Nelamangala. <br /><br />Yeshwantpur has three police and fire stations, but that still does not help matters as commuters complain that it is usually the local residents who help the accident victims and not the police.<br /><br />Road widening and construction of a flyover have not reduced accidents. To make matters worse, a gang of local boys allegedly prey on accident victims and steal their belongings like jewellery, money and watches. Vishwa S H, proprietor of Vijayanand Travels, says, “Thefts take place during accidents when the injured are being attended to. This is something against which no action has been taken. Nobody has bothered to register complaints against such thefts.”<br /><br />About ten to fifteen accidents take place every day because of the haphazard barricades put up for Metro construction. What pedestrians do is try and make their way through gaps in the fence boards, he adds.<br /><br />Bannerghatta Road<br /><br />One of the longest roads in the City, the Bannerghatta Road too has turned into an accident hot spot, thanks to congestion and rash driving. The road is not wide enough to handle the humongous flow of vehicles.<br /><br /> Even during non-peak hours, motorists drive their vehicles rashly. Devegowda S (name changed), an employee at a local pharmacy on Bannerghatta Road, says there’s at least one fatal accident along the stretch every day. Most of the accidents take place between late evening and night.<br /><br />Nagabhushan, a traffic cop, says: “People do not co-operate with us... They choose to ignore rules, endangering their own lives and those of others. The main reason for accidents along this road is lack of awareness of traffic rules, and drunk driving.”<br /><br />Most accidents take place during morning rush hours or at night. “Accidents due to drunk driving occur between 6:30 pm and 11:30 pm despite us checking drivers for drunk-driving,” says Nagabhushan.</p>
