Dangerous hurdles on flyovers

Uneven and displaced medians on thoroughfares are a common sight but you wouldn’t expect medians, laid on flyovers, to be displaced. There’s non-stop movement of vehicles on flyovers and chances of an accident cannot be ruled out if there is a displaced median. 

The newly-constructed Nagawara Flyover may have been thrown open to the public but there are some worrying factors. There are not only gnawing gaps between the loosely-fixed medians but some of the medians have also fallen onto the roads in a couple of places raising the possibility of accidents. The Nagawara Flyover is not the only such case. Displaced medians are a common sight on most flyovers in the City such at the ITC Flyover near Banaswadi, Residency Road Flyover and Lingarajpuram just to mention a few.  
 Metrolife spoke to commuters, traffic police and the BBMP to understand the dangers involving displaced medians on the roads. Medians, that are meant for the safety of road users, often end up causing fatal accidents. Barring a few newly-constructed medians or road dividers, the old medians across the City are either dislodged or misplaced. This scenario is common on most flyovers across the City and because of this, vehicles lose control, skid and sometimes run over the median itself. You can also see people removing the median to make way for their two wheelers to pass. 

The authorities claim that they have reflected on making the roads safe for motorists but complain that there has been no cooperation from the people as they don’t make any effort to maintain discipline on the roads and follow traffic rules. Additional commissioner of police, B Dayananda, says that the traffic police have recommended to Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) to set right and reconstruct the medians wherever required. “A couple of years ago, medians were made of loose stones, which people would remove, thereby creating a gap in them. This was dangerous. We had recommended to BBMP to construct medians that could not be moved,” he says.

Dayananda explains that accidents related to medians can be fatal, “We seen cases where people have run over the medians and rammed into them as well. They must not only be well constructed but well indicated as well,” he adds. 

BBMP Commissioner M Lakshminarayana explains that medians on flyovers don’t have to exceed nine inches in height, “The normal medians on roads are one-and-half-feet in height but it is lesser on flyovers. We have begun road work and the medians will be constructed along with the road-repair works,” says Laksminarayana.  
   Doctors in the City say that two-wheeler riders are more prone to accidents. Dr Ganesh K Murthy, senior consultant neurosurgeon with the Apollo Hospitals, says that accidents related to two wheelers are common on dimly-lit roads, “Displaced medians are a major cause of accidents. People tend to remove these medians just to take a shortcut but this could put another person’s life in danger. Damages because of a displaced median can vary depending on the extent of the accident,” Ganesh reasons. 

Road users feels the authorities must not compromise on road safety. Anirudh G Lokkur, a professional, feels people must not remove or displace the medians on flyovers. 

   “The medians should be cemented to the ground and reflectors placed for visibility removed. Also, CCTV cameras placed along the flyover will instill a sense of fear among the people who will think twice before destroying them,” feels Anirudh. 

Prathesh, a businessman, adds, “There are no signals on flyovers, hence people tend to drive at a particular speed. A protruding stone from a median could lead to miscalculation by two-wheeler riders and this could turn fatal.”