JOIN USMorning drives to office are hell for 42-year-old banker Srinivasan. It is not just the traffic but badly planned roads that has made witnessing fatal accidents a normal part of his life.
“I have seen quite a few accidents in and around Madiwala, where my office is located.
There are no signals for almost over two kilometres on this stretch. Vehicles come down from one side at a very high-speed from the elevated flyover before taking a turn. This is causing most of the hit-and -run cases,” says Srinivasan, adding that the junction has not been scientifically planned.
Are roads in the City well-engineered and scientifically planned? People from across the City share their opinion.
Talen C, 27, who regularly commutes on his two-wheeler, says that most of the roads do not have a uniform width, with extremely narrow stretches at many points. “The thing about Bengaluru roads is that they aren't in a condition to accommodate the volume of traffic this City has. The roads are usually planned for today and by the time the construction is executed, the traffic density has already increased.”
Not just this, most of the roads have too many intersections, which makes it very unsafe, especially for those who commute by two-wheeler, he adds. “Whenever I take a turn at a certain junction, I have to be extremely cautious because vehicles can come from any side. Sometimes signals are placed at such a point that they are not even visible,” he adds.
Rising chaos
Architect and urban planner R Mohandas says that in a city like Bengaluru, where the number of vehicles plying on the road is increasing by the day, it is very difficult to handle the chaos. “These roads were built at a time when the IT storm had not taken over.
Today, the City has expanded, we have more people migrating but it is difficult to undo what we already have. Of course, projects such as TenderSure should be encouraged,” he says.
He feels it will help if we have demarcated lanes for buses and autos. “ If buses get an exclusive lane and so do autorickshaws, I think it will help to a great extent because most of the times buses plying on main rods hinder the movement of other vehicles.”
SIDDHARTH
AMBROISE
Cycling enthusiast
Roads are not well engineered, especially when it comes to road width and drainage planning. As a cyclist, if affects me. These roads tend to damage our cycles. Ill-planned roads force us to ride with traffic. It can be scary and unsafe.
ILLAVALUTHY
MAHENDRAN
Pvt firm employee
I think that roads in the City could have been planned in a much better manner. However, the roads laid recently seem to be fine. The Outer Ring Road is okay, but the roads in Whitefield are too narrow for the volume of traffic it carries.
NIVEDITA U
Business analyst
It is so difficult for buses to navigate through some of the narrow roads in the City. This forces two-wheeler riders to squeeze through traffic in a haphazard manner. This blocks many roads, causes traffic jams and triggers accidents.
DR RAJU K P
Senior orthopaedic consultant
It’s not just human beings who suffer injuries, but vehicles also are damaged due to humps and pot-holes. People spend heavily on repair of vehicles which is sheer waste of money. Bad road engineering affects national economy.