JOIN USThe rocky ride
The muddy road outside St Charles High School Grounds in Lingarajapuram looks like an extension of the ground itself. Unlevelled and rocky, this was demarcated for the road widening process by the authorities.
But over time, nothing happened. So this stretch, connected to the Lingarajapuram Main Road just at the beginning of the flyover, is still waiting to be used to its capacity. Its rocky surface prevents motorists from riding on it and buses, that could have plied on it had it been a bus bay, prefer to stay on the narrow tarred road next to it. One can see a lot of traffic here at most times of the day. Metrolife interacts with commuters and residents in the area to find out the problems that they face here.
Even as motorists are stuck in a perpetual jam on the tarred part of the road, one can see autos and cycles are parked in this unused stretch. Nagendra, an auto driver, lives in Lingarajapuram and often goes to Ulsoor to pick up and drop his passengers. “So I travel on this stretch. I feel that the road is wasted here and the authorities must do something about it. The traffic is really bad in this area during peak hours and if this road could be used properly, it would solve the problem,” he says.Besides the jam, one can expect a haze of dust every time a vehicle passes by this muddy stretch.
During the monsoons, it turns into a nightmare for citizens. Kalaivani, a professional, lives in this area and takes the bus to go to office from here everyday. “First of all there are no proper bus stops or shelters in this area,” she complains. “If it rains, this part of the road is completely gone. Accidents can happen as vehicles can skid,” she adds.
With St Charles High School being located on the opposite side of the road, it’s not just peak hours that commuters have to worry about as during school hours too, traffic can come to a halt here. “The kids from the school play here during their free time,” notes Vimala Rani, a homemaker who lives in Lingarajapuram and often goes to Shivajinagar. “With the traffic increasing here by the day, the authorities must do something about the unused stretch. It could be dangerous not just for commuters but even the little children moving around the area,” she adds.
The lack of infrastructure has always bogged the City down according Shankar, a construction builder, who travels between Banaswadi Railway Station and Majestic on a regular basis. “I wish the City had proper facilities. With this stretch being in a bad condition, there is hardly any space for us to move on. The dust from the vehicles as well as the stretch affects our health too,” he notes.
For bikers, this stretch can not only cause body pain but even affect their vehicles. Mani Gandan, a professional, used to ride here earlier to go to his office. “But now I have stopped taking that road. If you travel on this stretch for one month, your bike will have to be serviced every month!” he says. “It’s not just normal vehicles, even heavy vehicles move on this stretch as it’s connected to the ring road.”
According to BBMP authorities, the school hadn’t given the consent for the road widening project. “But now, everything is sorted and we will start working on it in a week to ten days. The stretch will be widened for two and four wheelers. A bus bay is not ideal here as the stretch is right next to the flyover,” says M Lakshminarayana, Commissioner, BBMP.