The absence of a traffic signal at the Kumbalgodu intersection poses threat to pedestrians.
Pedestrians crossing Mysore Road at the Kumbalgodu junction put their lives at risk as there is no traffic signal to stop oncoming traffic. Traffic police, too, have a tough time monitoring the traffic flow.
Data collected from Kumbalgodu Police Station show that 12 fatal and 54 non-fatal road accidents had been registered within 50 to 100 meters from the intersection in the past three years.
Farida Banu, a 14-year-old school student, waiting with her friends at the Kumbalgodu intersection to cross the road, said, “There is no zebra crossing which makes it very difficult for us to cross the road. On some days, traffic police officers help us in crossing the road, but on most days we manage on our own.”
An officer from the Kumbalgodu police station said, “Since there is no traffic signal on this highway, our officers manage the traffic flow manually. Two to three police officers from our police station stay in the intersection from 8 a.m to 8 p.m. They stop the vehicles every eight to ten minutes so that the pedestrians can cross the road safely.”
According to The Indian Road Congress 1996, Guidelines and Installation of Road Traffic Signal, a traffic signal needs to be installed if a minimum of 800 vehicles cross a major road or junction on an average day.
Basavaraj, a constable at Kumbalgodu police station who was about to join his traffic duty said, “Since traffic flow is increasing every day, it is getting very difficult to manage the flow, especially in the intersection. The majority of accidents happen because of overspeeding. Although, we fine people for overspeeding it will be easier for us to prevent accidents if authorities install traffic signals at the intersection.”
Chandrasekhar, an auto driver said, “Small accidents at the intersection happen every other day. Police manage the traffic flow manually and sometimes that creates even more chaos. During holidays and festivals, it is even more frustrating because the traffic gets worse and people have to wait for so long.”
Pedestrians waiting in the middle of the road to cross
Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari in a tweet said,“ This road will substantially reduce the travel time from Bengaluru to Mysuru from 3 hours to 75 minutes only.” To avoid congestion Kumbalgodu flyover opened to the public recently. Sathish Kumar a resident of Kengeri said in an article, “For long, the Bengaluru-Mysuru Road has been neglected even though the traffic has increased. Kumbalgodu, which was a suburb, has seen rapid growth in recent years resulting, in a spurt in vehicular growth. This road definitely required a flyover for hassle-free movement of vehicles traveling long distances, so that the local traffic near Kumbalgodu can use the road below the flyover.”
Krishan Kanhaiya, a samosa seller near the intersection said, “Nowadays everyone is in a hurry and they do not care about their own or other people’s lives. Police manage traffic flow efficiently at the intersection without signals here. You have many traffic signals in the city, \but do people follow traffic rules?”
Prof. M. N Sreehari, an expert, who has supervised over 2,000 projects related to Traffic Transportation and Safety said, “Amber lights should be installed if there are less than 5000 cars commuting on the minor road which is joining the major highway. Amber light is an indication to be careful and safe driving. After conducting a small survey, zebra crossing can be painted in the intersection for pedestrian safety.”
