bangalore roads

They are not just a danger to life and limb. Bengaluru’s potholed roads are also inspiring artists and activists to get creative about their modes of protest at the poor state of the city’s roads. While artist Badal Nanjundaswamy frequently takes inspiration from a well-formed pothole to unleash his creativity, Aam Aadmi Party activists recently held a Pothole Habba to “celebrate” the city' potholes. Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), the city’s civic body in charge of ensuring road quality had, in 2018, come up with a grand plan of concretising roads to erase potholes, presumably (and disputably) forever. Called white…

Flyover repairs and delayed road-widening The Sirsi Circle flyover, constructed in 1999, was the longest flyover then, running 2.91km. It was repaired at a cost of Rs 2.8 crore, four years ago. Now the BBMP is planning to repair it again at a cost of 4.3 crores. The issue is in the longevity of the project. The material used will make the repair last only for four more years. The government’s plan of building elevated corridors has put the road widening plans in Whitefield and Electronics City to a halt. The proposed plan had been to provide an alternative route between…

Bengaluru left shivering after cold wave According to Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), the city observatory at Sheshadri road recorded a minimum temperature of 13.1°C during the 24-hour period that ended at 8.30 am on Thursday. HAL Airport and KIA recorded 11.6°C and 11.2°C, respectively, Hesarghatta had recorded a minimum temperature of 9°C — the lowest temperature recorded in the city in a decade. This is attributed to the cold wave sweeping across north and south interior Karnataka, and the conditions are expected to remain for the next couple of days. City doctors say the number of patients with upper respiratory problems…

When the roads are choked with traffic, why cannot such senseless vehicles, with just one person driving them, blocking up the road space, be banned? Such ad vehicles get my goat on all fronts: pollution, traffic congestion, and commercialism at the cost of everything else.

Panathur, situated near Kadubeesanahalli area in East Bengaluru, despite being the bridge to Outer Ring Road and Varthur where many tech parks are located, has always been a disguised rich slum. For people who migrate to Bengaluru thinking that it is an IT hub, the dreams shatter on the very first day, when they see the traffic here. Many multi-million dollar companies have their offices in the vicinity and the place is home to many good apartments - “good” as long as the residents are inside. What does a usual day on Panathur road look like? Even on the weekends,…

Church Street is among the busiest streets in Bengaluru. It houses some of the most upscale business and entertainment establishments in the Central Business District (CBD). A few years ago, it was also synonymous with decaying infrastructure and chaos—crumbling footpaths, roads that would flood with the slightest shower, garbage. And these were just surface-level problems. In 2015, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) announced that the stretch would be redeveloped under the TenderSURE guidelines. The project was going to be financed through the Nagarothana Yojana by the Government of Karnataka at an estimated cost of about Rs 9 crores. However,…

So what does it mean to open a superbike in a city where roads are a death trap even for the normal ones? I have been a biker from the time I was in college. The feeling of being free with the air in your face was an unparalleled experience and I was hooked after my ride. My first bike that was a Yamaha RX and there was no looking back from there on. I have owned a number of bikes—the Royal Enfield Thunderbird, Duke 390, Kawasaki Ninja 650, Yamaha R15 , Kawasaki Ninja 1000 and the Triumph Daytona 675r.…

A greatly endangered species: the urban pedestrian. I just crossed Bannerghatta Road at great peril to my life. I waited about 10 mins for the traffic to ease, and still had to weave through vehicles which showed not the slightest sign of wanting to slow down for me, or the (even more) elderly lady I was leading by the hand. If I, in generally good health, find it so dangerous and unnerving, how can the blind, the lame, and the old cross our city roads? I also find it amazing that everywhere (not just in our country), it's the motorized…

In March 2014, Bengaluru In March 2014, Bengaluru Traffic Police conducted a novel experiment. They erected fake cut outs of traffic police in accident-prone areas. This was just one of the ways to beat the staff shortage among police. Despite some folks taking offense, it did get a few nods of appreciation and laughs as well. These cutouts were perhaps a reminder to drivers that there are rules to follow and a body to enforce them. Traffic on Outer Ring Road on a typical weekday. Pic: Mayur Channagere In Bengaluru, vehicular traffic has become an economic, environmental and a safety issue.…

The road connecting Kanakpura road and BDA 80 feet ring road has been in a terrible state for years now. It has open manholes and the road is covered with potholes which are potentially fatal in nature. Open manholes dot the road. Pic: VK Srivatsa The pothole-ridden road. Pic: VK Srivatsa There are multiple instances of two-wheeler riders getting injured every day. If they try avoiding a pothole by swerving to the left or right, they could fall into one of the open manholes. And if they try to avoid the manhole, there is a good chance they can break their…