On Thursday morning, a two-wheeler rider identified as Mathew Joseph, 47, died in an accident near Devarabeesanahalli on Outer Ring Road while he was on his way to office. He was riding near the bus priority lane, which has bollards, when a speeding goods vehicle knocked down his bike. He slipped and fell under the wheel of the goods vehicle sustaining severe head injuries. He died on the spot.
The incident has one again raised concerns over the safety hazard that bollards pose to motorists, especially as metro construction work from Central Silk Board Junction to K.R. Puram is currently underway.
The traffic police have been asking authorities such as Directorate of Urban Land Transport (DULT), Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), and Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd. (BMRCL) to remove bollards on the bus priority lane in areas where metro work sites have been set up. This would help motorists maneuver narrow stretches.
Due to metro construction on the median, the width of the road has reduced. BMRCL has to erect nearly 700 piers on the stretch.
“Due to metro work, the road has become narrow. We have been observing that where there is a bus lane, two-wheelers riders use the narrow gaps between the bollards to move from one lane to another thereby risking their lives. We have been asking the authorities to suspend operations of BPL wherever the road is narrow and take up proper maintenance of bollards where the road is wider,” said Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic) B.R. Ravikanthe Gowda.
While officials said that all vehicles are allowed to use the bus priority lane from Central Silk Board to Iblur, many motorists are demanding that the priority lane along the entire stretch of ORR be opened to them at least until metro construction work is completed.
“BBMP and DULT are discussing the issue with various stakeholders on whether to retain BPL on the entire stretch. There are two opinions: some are in favour of the priority lane arguing that it will help reduce congestion, while others are for the removal of bollards,” said Managing director of BMRCL Anjum Parwez.
The bollards are proving to be a hindrance to buses as well. Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMTC) officials say on an average they operate nearly 1,000 buses on ORR. There are many videos of heavy vehicles crushing bollards while shifting from one lane to others as well clips of BMTC drivers damaging bollards while veering from one lane to another.
Motorists who are tired of traffic snarls have demanded that authorities take immediate action. “Due to metro work ORR has turned into a nightmare for motorists. Damaged bollards are a safety hazard and it’s high time the police and other departments do something about this,” said Sriharsha, a motorist who uses the stretch regularly.
Vineetha, a software engineer who works at Manyata Tech park, pointed out that companies are asking employees to return to work, as a result of which vehicle congestion has increased. “I travel from Silk Board to Manyata daily, but due to the metro work I no longer use the ORR,” she said.
Meanwhile, the police are tracking down the driver of the goods vehicle involved in the accident that killed Mr. Joseph. A case of reckless driving and death due to negligence has been registered against the driver, said the police.
