Pothole infested roads lead bikers into trouble

Thanks to heavy downpour and gloomy state of roads, the city has witnessed about 20 accidents over the weekend

Thanks to heavy downpour and gloomy state of roads, the city has witnessed about 20 accidents over the weekend

The city has witnessed a spurt in accidents in the past couple of days, thanks to heavy downpours which have dotted the streets with potholes, some of them 2ft-deep, making them bikers' nightmare. The police stations across the city have recorded around 20 accidents from the stretches dotted with potholes.

Deadline? what's that? Despite September 2010 deadline set by the
BBMP commissioner to make the city pothole free, little has been done
to fill the pits. Representation pic

Danger zones
MiD DAY conducted a survey of condition of roads in the accident-prone areas and found some streets had 2ft-deep craters. Several accidents were reported at JP Nagar Phase-VIII, Tyagaraja Nagar, Banashankari block-III, Jayanagar block-III, Kengeri, Mysore Road, KR Market and Dickenson Road. "The problem has been brought to the notice of our seniors and the department will be writing to the BBMP about the same. These areas are dotted with potholes, some of them about 15-20 cm deep," said a circle inspector from MG Road.

No signboards
Last year the BBMP had installed signboards cautioning motorists about the potholes, but they have failed to put these boards at important junctions this time. "The number of potholes has just doubled. When it rains, potholes get filled with water and unsuspecting bikers fall in them," said another circle inspector from Magadi Road.

Other areas that have witnessed similar problems over the weekend include Mysore Road and Kalasipalyam. "During peak hours at least 150 bikes ply on this stretch. These potholes might not affect big vehicles, but we, bikers, are subjected to this problem largely. I have seen almost 10 accidents in the last two days because of a huge pothole right in the centre of the road," said Suresh K Rao, a biker who passes through Kalasipalyam daily.
Despite September 2010 deadline set by the BBMP commissioner to make the city pothole free, little has been done to fill the pits.

Down the drain?
Each of the 198 wards was sanctioned Rs 1 lakh to cover the potholes in their respective areas. In March, the High Court directed the BBMP to file an affidavit with details of measures taken to improve the condition of roads in the city.

However, the petition placed before the High Court panel in March claimed that there were about 11,000 potholes as against BBMP's last year's report that said the total number of potholes was 6,500. When asked about the problem, BBMP Mayor S Sharadamma said, "I am not aware of the situation."

Meanwhile, the traffic police are taking all measures to inform bikers about the potholed stretches and suggest them to avoid these routes, particularly during heavy rains. More traffic constables have been deputed in each location with heavy traffic to avoid accidents during peak hours.

Rs 1 lakh
Amount sanctioned by the civic body to cover the potholes in each ward

Mishap
JP Nagar police station
2 minor accidents

Mysore Road police station
2 minor, 1 serious accident

Rajajinagar police station
3 minor accidents

Girinagar police station
1 minor accident