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Outer Ring Road is Bengaluru deadliest

Constructed 20 years ago to decongest the city centre, the 60-km-long ORR saw 69 fatal accidents between 2019 and 2021, traffic police data shows
Last Updated 24 October 2022, 03:44 IST

Outer Ring Road (ORR) is not only the most congested but also the deadliest thoroughfare in Bengaluru, followed closely by Ballari Road and Hosur Road.

Constructed 20 years ago to decongest the city centre, the 60-km-long ORR saw 69 fatal accidents between 2019 and 2021, traffic police data shows.

Ballari Road, which links the downtown with the airport, was the second deadliest during the same period, accounting for 63 fatal accidents. Hosur Road, dotted with garment factories, tech parks and large industries, saw 57 fatal accidents, data shows.

Overall, Hosur Road, however, reported more accidents. Ballari Road was the second and the ORR third. They were followed by Tumakuru Road, Sarjapur Main Road, Old Madras Road and NICE Road.

Data shows that efforts made by municipal and traffic police authorities to make the roads safer have met with little success.

Overall, Bengaluru has 63 accident black spots, where vehicle crashes happen on a regular basis. Twenty of these black spots were added last year, indicating the growing danger on the city roads.

On average, Bengaluru reports 650 fatal road accidents a year. Most of the victims are pedestrians and motorcyclists.

The deadliest spots on the ORR were Iblur Junction, Hennur underpass, Babusapalya, Bagmane Tech Park, JP Morgan and Karthik Nagar (both in Marathahalli) and Mahadevapura.

On Ballari Road, Jakkur (on the flyover), Yelahanka bypass, Palanahalli Gate, Kannamangala Palya Gate, Hunasamaranahalli, Bettahalasuru Junction and Kodiganahalli Gate see lot of accidents.

On Hosur Road, the black spots are Bommanahalli Junction, Kudlu Gate, Singasandra Bus Stop, Garvebhavipalya, Konappana Agrahara, Electronics City Bus Stop and Veerasandra Junction.

On Ballari and Hosur roads, most of the accidents occurred under the elevated expressways, data shows.

A senior traffic police officer cited heavy pedestrian movement and rash driving on Hosur Road as the reason for most accidents.

“Since the road is relatively wider, vehicle users tend to drive fast and negligently. The pedestrian movement is also heavy here. We have seen more accidents taking place below the flyover despite taking preventive measures,” the officer said.

Pawan Mulukutla, Head of Integrated Transport at research organisation WRI India, said behavioral change and infrastructure interventions were needed to reduce accidents.

“There ae no safe pedestrian crossings on most roads. Even pedestrians like to cross the road wherever they want. A behavioral shift is needed. This can be achieved through design interventions,” he explained.

He asked the police to carry out speed tests on roads that see frequent accidents. “There needs to be a curb on speed on highways that pass through the city. Reducing the speed by 5 to 10 kmph can drastically lower the accident rate. Police also must use cameras to penalise motorists who drive rashly,” Mulukutla said.

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(Published 23 October 2022, 18:49 IST)

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