The perils of negotiating pot-holed roads

Incessant rains are not the only reason why the roads in Bengaluru are in poor shape. The blame should be equally shared by the civic authorities for the shoddy road works, complain motorists across the city.

They are unanimous in their observation: The potholes reflect the poor quality work of the Bruhath Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP). The BBMP commissioner goes on night inspections to monitor the ongoing pothole-filling drive in the city. But citizens feel it will be of no help if the repair is of low quality and the continuing downpour will make it worse.

Roads in and around Nagasandra main road, APMC Gate, Yeshwanthpura, Seshadripuram, Gandhinagar 8th Main Road, Tumakuru Road, Dasarahalli, Srirampura and Malleshwaram are dotted with potholes and craters.

Due to the poor drainage infrastructure, water stagnates at many spots resulting in more potholes. Mallesh Gowda, a resident of Yeshwanthpur has this to say: “For the past three months, the main road as well as the service road near KLE dental hospital have big potholes. These have not been repaired by BBMP. Motorcyclists have a tough time riding their bikes during rain.”

Pratik Kumar, a motorist who commutes between his office in Malleshwaram via Tumkur road daily, observes: “Commuting has become a nightmare on Tumakurur road. When it rains, the potholed roads make it very dangerous to ride.”

The traffic police too find it extremely difficult to manage vehicular movement due to the huge number of potholes. Siddha P, a traffic constable in Goraguntepalya explains, “If the road is in good condition, traffic will move smoothly. Due to the potholes, vehicle movement slows down considerably, leading to huge traffic congestion.” He advises motorists to be aware of the road condition and drive slow and safe.

Sainath G, a resident of T Dasarahalli puts the blame squarely on the civic authorities. “If the authorities plan well for the future, why should potholes emerge on the roads? BBMP has made a hell out of the city roads,” he says.

He has seen a lot of accidents caused by potholes. “After heavy rains in the last few days, many new potholes have emerged in the city. Was the BBMP not aware about the rainy season and potholes, a recurring problem in the city?” he wonders.

Poor road condition is a definite trigger for accidents, agrees Naveen Kumar S, a college student from Malleswaram. “Every day, I ride to my college. Recently, I met with an accident while negotiating a pothole near Nataraj Theatre. Fortunately, my speed was low and I survived with minor injuries. Since I commute daily I knew the road well but what shook me was the emergence of huge pothole overnight,” explains Kumar.

For cab driver Lakshmana M, the deadly potholes are a nightmare. He laments that his car gets damaged regularly on the city's roads. “It is very easy for vehicles to get damaged on such bad roads. This month alone my car has been damaged two times.”

“Potholes have become a serious challenge while driving on city roads. Our bus broke down due to cutting down of blades. Because of bad roads, we can never reach our destination on time,” says BMTC bus driver Ramakrishnaya K.

On many occasions, the police themselves have repaired bad spots on the road. “All the riders complain to us about the road, we only can advise them to drive safe,” says Lokesh, Assistant Sub Inspector of Peenya Traffic police.

Autorickshaw driver Raju M from Yeshwanthpura, who experiences the dangerous rides daily, has this to say: “Every day, I see riders meeting with accidents. When it rains, water gets into our vehicles. This is a horrible situation for all drivers,” he says.
Darshan Devaiah B P