The areas surrounding KR Market and Avenue Road are among the busiest localities in the City. Unfortunately, motorists are greeted by crater-like potholes in every nook and corner of the stretch between KR Market junction and Mysore Bank Circle.
Two-wheeler riders are the worst affected and find it difficult to negotiate the potholes, given that some are deep enough for the riders to lose their balance. When it rains, potholes turn into cesspools, making it difficult for riders to calculate their depth.
Those who run business establishments along this stretch say repeated complaints to the authorities have made no difference.
Vinay Kumar, who runs a pharmacy near Kamath Hotel in KR Market, says that he dreads riding on Avenue Road and always takes another route.
“You can’t imagine walking on Avenue Road, thanks to the uneven stretches and the vendors on the pavements. Also, you can’t really differentiate between a road and a pothole when it rains,” Vinay reasons.
The Avenue Road has gone through a series of minor and major road works. It was dug up and cordoned off for the relaying of the underground piping system two years ago. The work has been completed but the roads were never tarred and have been left in a mess since then. Vishal Agarwal, a businessman who owns a shop on Avenue Road, says that he never tries to ride on this road.
“For one, people can’t walk on the pavements because they are literally encroached by the street vendors. If you try to walk on the road, you have to worry about the two-wheeler riders who are likely to lose their balance riding on these uneven paths,” he notes.
Vishal says that he has complained to the authorities several times but to no avail.
According to additional commissioner of police, B Dayananda, two-wheeler riders form almost 75 per cent of the total vehicles on City roads. He says he has written to the BBMP to do the needful.
“Increasing potholes are a major hindrance to the smooth flow of traffic and lead to traffic pile-up. The two-wheeler riders tend to lose their balance or cross over in a bid to avoid potholes which lead to minor accidents and road blocks,” says Dayananda.
Four-wheeler owners have their own woes to narrate. Uday Shankar, an IT professional who passes by Avenue Road to his work place everyday says, “Thanks to all the potholes, my car service charges have been soaring. Last week, my car got stuck into a pothole, which was almost two feet deep. This damaged the car’s front suspension and needed a replacement.”
