Bengaluru: Where have all the speed-breakers gone?

Bengaluru: Soon the troubles for pedestrians crossing the Outer Ring Road (ORR) are going to get worse. After the recent asphalting works taken up on many stretches of ORR, the speed breakers have gone missing, making it almost impossible to reach the other side of the road.

Residents with the biggest problems mostly live along the ORR and areas such as Kalyan Nagar, Kasturi Nagar, Nagawara and K R Puram. Now that the traffic police have requested the BBMP to build some skywalks to ease pedestrian movement on ORR, the transport experts point out that as per the National Urban Transport Policy (NUTP) the ORR must have designated pedestrian crossings with traffic wardens on the job.

As things stand, most of the skywalks in Bengaluru are hardly used by pedestrians, and even on the ORR at the K R Puram Junction pedestrians cross the road under the skywalk, bang in the middle of the road, risking their lives. Instead the traffic experts are suggesting dedicated crossings on ORR so that the risk of being knocked down while crossing the road can be avoided.

“It’s difficult to cross the road even when there are speed breakers. The speed limit signage in Kasturi Nagar Bus stop towards Marathahalli shows 45 kmph, but vehicles zoom past at double the prescribed speed. If the speed breakers are removed, it will become impossible to get to the other side of the road,” said Manju George, a mobility expert.

The residents in Kalyan Nagar and Kasturi Nagar are now questioning the intentions of BDA in creating sky-walks, which are not very  pedestrian-friendly. “From Kalyan Nagar to Kasturi Nagar, around 6 sky-walks have been sanctioned or are almost in the final stages of approval. When we can make ‘humps’ scientifically in all the stretches with a smaller budget, what is the use of building sky-walks,  when nobody uses them?” questioned a resident. Mr N. Ramesh, Secretary of Kasturi Nagar Residents’ Welfare Association, said that it’s difficult for the school and college kids in Kasturi Nagar to cross the road in heavy traffic.

“During the recent road repair work the speed humps have been leveled and ever since crossing the road is like risking one’s life. The local MLA has assured skywalks on the stretch and we are waiting for the same,” he said.

Mr B. Dayanand, Additional Commissioner of Police, said that the BDA will come up with skywalks in the coming days to ease pedestrian problems on the ORR.