When the lines go missing...

The zebra crossing is either missing on most roads across the City or has faded. While lane discipline has taken a backseat in the City, the least the citizens can expect from the authorities is a proper marking for the zebra crossing, which is indispensable for both pedestrians and motorists.  

Farhan Zain, an MBA graduate, thinks a zebra crossing clearly indicates where a motorist must stop. “There are many missing zebra crossings in the Central Business District in places like Anil Kumble Circle and Coffee Board Circle. But at places where there are no zebra crossings, motorists would be confused and not know where to stop,” he says. He adds, “In such cases, the motorists start having a competition of sorts with each one wanting to stop ahead of the other, thereby ending up in the middle of a junction or a stretch beyond the signal.” Speaking of the different locations where there are no zebra crossings, he says, “The signals near Krupanidhi College in Koramangala and the one near 15th Main, JP Nagar do not have clear zebra cross markings. There are many other busy signals with traffic flowing in from all directions. They all face the same problem,” he says.

There are a few people who say that although they want to follow traffic rules, the absence of zebra crossing makes it difficult. “At Mekhri Circle signal, the zebra crossing is not clear. The signal near the Hebbal flyover also has a zebra crossing, which isn’t visible. I take this road quite often and as a responsible citizen, I want to obey all rules,” says Bharti Ayer, operations manager with an IT company. She adds that the authorities should follow the example of the signal crossing at Esteem Mall, where there is proper vigilance by the traffic officials and the zebra crossing is clear.

Pedestrians and motorists can be seen quarrelling or abusing each other when their respective spaces are encroached. “Bengaluru is a tough city for pedestrians. There are no proper footpaths and one also has to battle with motorists at signals where the zebra lines aren’t that visible,” says Akriti Sinha, a homemaker. She adds that sometimes, even the traffic police don’t cooperate. “I have been yelled at by motorists because according to them, I was crossing at the wrong place. Once there was a traffic cop right beside me but he didn’t say anything,” she says.

Ask the authorities about the same and they say that they plan on repainting the zebra crossings soon. “Zebra crossings fade with time and weather conditions and have to be repainted. This is an ongoing activity and is done whenever required,” says B Dayananda, additional commissioner of police (traffic).

He adds that when a road is repaired by the BBMP, it is their duty to take up the task of repainting that particular stretch.  Zebra crossings are missing in stretches that have been asphalted recently. “We will be taking up the task shortly. We didn’t do the repainting because of the monsoons. Painting the faded zebra crossings is the responsibility of the traffic authorities. The B-TRAC funds, released by the government to the traffic authorities is usually used for traffic management and repairing road damages. This also includes the repainting of zebra crossings,” says M Lakshminarayana, BBMP Commissioner.