Need for speed: A city hamstrung

Bengaluru is notorious for its snail-paced traffic even during non-peak hours. But there is a speed-breaker even on these slow moving vehicles, as the latest study has found that the average speed has dipped from the earlier 7-8 kilometres per hour to 4.5 kmph in the perennially choked Central Business District and a few other major arterial roads. Potholes, badly maintained roads, never ending infrastructure projects and flooded stretches are to be blamed.

Potholes on Bengaluru's roads are not only claiming lives and leaving people injured, but are also a major contributor to its crawling traffic as vehicles slow down to avoid one death trap or the other enroute to their destinations.

In fact, mobility, which is seen as an index for the development of any city, has dropped  to an average of just 4.5 kms per hour in the city from  8kms per hour in just one year thanks to its pothole -ridden roads, erratic parking, never ending infrastructure projects,  poor drainage system and road cutting by Optical Fibre Cable (OFC) laying agencies.

No city infrastructure project should be allowed to languish. It should be time- bound to make sure that traffic on the roads is not hit. Officials must sort out the land acquisition and funding issues before launching a project to avoid inconveniencing the public
—D. S. Rajashekar, President, Citizens’ Action Forum

The consequences can be serious , warns traffic expert, M. N. Sreehari, explaining that if a city scores less on mobility, its development is bound to be hit. “Bengaluru needs to be made livable. If the average speed  drops to 4.5 kms per hour in a city its unlikely to make much progress,” he said.

While the average speed on the major stretch of the Outer Ring Road (ORR), specially between Central Silk Board (CSB) and Hebbal  is just 4.5 kms per hour during peak hours today,  it is a mere 11 kms per hour around Vidhana Soudha during this time  and  28 kms per hour on other roads, which is also not satisfactory, going by Mr Sreehari.

Come monsoon and the problem worsens as the rain coupled with the potholes plays havoc with traffic, slowing it down even more all around the city. “Often the failure to clear blocked shoulder drainages leads to overflowing of water on the roads. The water stagnation increases the size of the potholes, which end up becoming potential death traps. And unfortunately, the BBMP fails to fill or cover potholes except on VVIP roads,”  Mr. Sreehari pointed out.

Potholes can be dangerous for motorists and especially two-wheeler riders, particularly during the rain when they are filled with water. While rain makes driving difficult, forcing vehicles to slow down, the potholes complete the job by hitting traffic hard
—M. N. Sreehari, traffic expert

The problem is compounded by erratic parking on streets, which shrinks the right of way for vehicles on almost 60 per cent of city roads, he notes. “Also, there is chaos now on TenderSure roads where footpaths have been widened unscientifically, reducing the right of way for vehicles. But neither the BBMP commissioner nor the Mayor seem concerned about this,”  he regretted.

Filling potholes
Experts underline that the BBMP, which is often accused of shoddy work, must follow the tried and tested method of covering potholes. It should cut them into a rectangular shape or a square and then dust them before filling them up, they explain. Use of construction debris to fill potholes should not be allowed, according to them.

The BBMP and the Public Works Department have begun filling potholes across the city. Once the work is completed, the condition of the roads will improve.
—A BBMP engineer

‘Tackling potholes is no rocket science’
Tackling potholes should be easy if the civic agencies and  the state government  prepare a list of arterial and sub-arterial roads in need of critical  attention, says  Mr D. S. Rajashekar, president of the Citizens’ Action Forum (CAF).

He  believes the other solution lies in making sure that the contractors, who lay roads, are held accountable and made responsible for their maintenance for between three to five years. “The liability clause in tenders must be strictly adhered to and the contractors  told to cover any potholes that emerge for the period they are responsible for the road’s upkeep,” he stressed.

As agencies like the BWSSB, BESCOM and OFC often play the villain, digging up roads after they are laid for repairs and laying of cables, their engineers must be held responsible for restoring the roads after the work is done, he underlines. “Only then will they get serious about it and ensure there are no gaping holes left on the  roads following their routine repairs,” the civic activist reasoned.

As for the question of mobility, he says besides potholes, pedestrians too are often responsible as they tend to cross the roads at will, slowing down traffic. Recalling that the BBMP is planning to build skywalks to stop people from wandering into traffic when crossing roads, he strongly recommends these projects be put on fast track. In fact, no city project should be allowed to languish as the ongoing work can also prove a traffic hurdle, he says.

“It is time for the BBMP and the state government to focus on long term solutions rather than taking ad hoc measures to fix the problem. It does not require rocket science, but only a simple application of mind,” Mr Rajshekar noted.

Caution: It’s not speed that kills but potholes

December 4, 2015
A 30-year-old pillion rider died after he  fell off his bike while trying to maneouvre round  a pothole near the Vijaya Bank Colony in Hulimavu traffic police limits.

September 18, 2015
A 25-year-old pillion rider,  Stuti Tripathi Pandey, died after falling off the bike as her husband tried to avoid a pothole on a flyover in Devarbisnahalli on Old Airport Road.

August 23, 2015
Nine-year-old Likith Gowda and his mother, Sunitha, were killed as she swerved  to avoid a huge pothole near SRS Circle on Tumkur Road and were run over by a speeding bus from behind.

April 27, 2015
Thirteen-year-old Shama Anjum and her one-year-old sister, Ayam,  riding pillion on a  two-wheeler, were killed when their mother, who was driving, tried to avoid a large pothole on OTC Road near the Ulsoor gate police station.

December 5, 2014
Two-and-a-half-year-old Dhanushree was crushed to death by a lorry on Hoodi Main road when her uncle hit a pothole and lost control of the two-wheeler they were on. The lorry rammed into them from behind and ran over the child.