Bad roads, chaotic parking make commuting dangerous: Bommanahalli residents

Poor roads and rising vehicle population have made daily travel difficult in localities falling under the Bommanahalli assembly constituency, residents say.

Janaspandana — Citizens For Change, a civic grievance redress programme organised by DH and Prajavani on Saturday, discussed traffic bottlenecks at the Narayana College junction and the Sarakki Signal.

Talking of Sarakki Signal, a resident asked the traffic police to provide a right turn towards Banashankari. “Those heading towards Banashankari have to travel to Kadirenahalli, which is nearly 2.5 km away and takes 15-20 minutes during the peak hour,” the resident said.

Some residents said the alternate-day parking system had failed due to poor enforcement. At 16th Cross near the Brigade Millenium apartment complex, vehicles parked on the road are causing accidents, they added.

Residents also requested removing encroachments from footpaths in various areas and installing streetlights. There were also complaints about garbage collection and black spots, especially on vacant plots.

Vehicle checking

When residents of the Mantri Sarovar apartment complex complained about how the inspection of vehicles on the service road between 6 am and 9 am inconveniences vehicle users, Bommanahalli MLA M Satish Reddy said the exercise must stop.

“I understand that it’s a busy road because the metro construction is also going on. I will direct the RTO officials to find an alternative spot (for vehicle inspection),” he said.

Reddy said that the plan to construct a flyover at the Sarakki Signal had been put on hold owing to the metro construction.

Several participants also raised the issue of broken footpaths and bad roads, saying both main roads and ward roads were in pathetic condition.

Reddy fumed at the officials. “We have funds. Potholes should be filled in all the wards. It’s sad that people have to bring up these basic issues at Janaspandana,” he said.

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Responding to a complaint about the digging of roads for cabling, Reddy said: “We had not allowed any service providers to cut the roads for nearly four years. But now, internet connectivity has become essential and we have to give permissions. Ward engineers should ensure that the roads are restored properly.”

‘Engineers should take the lead’

Following complaints that officials pass the buck whenever citizens make complaints, Reddy instructed the ward engineers to take the lead.

“Since there is no BBMP council, we do not have corporators. That’s why people have been approaching the ward engineers directly. In such cases, ward engineers should forward the complaint to the department concerned and follow it up,” he said.

He also suggested that officials hold regular interactions with citizens and the Residents’ Welfare Associations (RWAs).

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