Mysuru Road is a nightmare for pedestrians, 2-wheeler riders

BBMP Bengaluru City Governance Karnataka Karnataka Safety

Potholed road is now slippery following rain

People walking on Mysuru Road feel they will be blown away when heavy vehicles speed by them. As vulnerable as the pedestrians are riders of two-wheelers who struggle to not get hit by buses and trucks on  the road, now slippery following continuous rain.

On Wednesday, a two-wheeler rider died when he was hit by a BMTC bus that was speeding behind him. The scooter went over a bad patch and fell to its left; its rider fell to the right, on the road, and was run over. The road had been completely dug up, making it  dangerously slippery.

The police have detained the BMTC driver.

The Observer found a 1-km stretch of the road riddled with potholes filled with rainwater. After continuous rain, the road has become a combination of sludge and potholes.

Pedestrians struggled to cross the road while dodging the potholes and  overspeeding vehicles. A scooter skidded  on the wet road on Thursday, but      the rider quickly regained control. 

Ashoka K.M., a head constable at the Kumbalgodu police station, informed The Observer: “Nearly 30 minor accidents have happened in the past one month. Minor collisions between vehicles happen throughout the day. If I talk about major accidents with injuries, then last month two or three happened. It is mostly because of continuous rain, sludge and  overspeeding. The condition of the road is not good.”

Commuters are worried about their safety. 

Vishu Kumar, 45, who travels by bike on the road, said: “Construction work has ruined the road, and rain has made  matters worse. Two-wheelers slip easily on muddy roads and are at high risk. Potholes are also a problem. We can only hope that the work ends soon.”

Sandeep Gowda, a security guard in a building on the road,  faces a similar problem. “I walk on the road very often to come to work. The road is a mess; potholes on the road create problems; and then there are so many diversions. It is risky to travel on this road.” 

Autorickshaw driver Babu S said: “I drive up and down the road the whole day. Every day I witness accidents. Countless minor collisions and scooters slipping incidents occur. It is quite common and very risky.”

P Radhika, a pedestrian, said: “Crossing this road is an adventure.. The vehicles are always speeding, and with the rain it becomes even more difficult.” 

According to the National Crime Records Bureau, Bengaluru is among the cities to have the highest number of road accidents. Bengaluru recorded  643 road accident deaths in 2020-21.

tina.f@iijnm.org

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