Pedestrian crosswalks & rumble strips: How Bengaluru tackled deadly blackspots

Bengaluru: Minor infrastructural changes and interdepartmental collaborations have yielded positive results, helping the Bengaluru Traffic Police (BTP) address five blackspots and reducing accident fatalities.

Over the past three years, the BTP identified and compiled a list of 64 accident blackspots across the city, including 11 on Ballari Road up to Devanahalli. These blackspots were 250- to 500-metre stretches that saw at least five fatal accidents or 10 non-fatal accidents with grievous injuries.

A clearly marked pedestrian crossing at Magadi Road (MC Circle to KHB Junction).

Over the past few months, the traffic police, in collaboration with the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike’s Traffic Engineering Cell (TEC), installed high-rise pedestrian crossings (HRPC), speed bumps, rumble strips, and medians at all necessary spots. This resulted in clearance of five blackspots on West of Chord Road, Outer Ring Road (West), and Magadi Road.

Fatal accidents on the Outer Ring Road in the west, between the Sumanahalli flyover and Chowdeshwari Nagar underpass, were reduced to one this year compared to 10 in 2022. Similarly, fatal accidents on Magadi Road, from MC Circle to KHB Junction, dropped to zero this year from five in 2022, data shared by the traffic police revealed.

Assistant Sub-Inspector Dhananjaya from the Kamakshipalya station noted that a majority of the accidents near the Sumanahalli flyover were previously due to the lack of pedestrian infrastructure.

“There was no central median on many entry points from the service road to the main road. Around April, we fixed the central median, installed rumble strips and an HRPC, closed unnecessary entry points, and repaired streetlights with Bescom. We are writing to the BBMP to get a skywalk installed,” he said.

Within the Vijayanagar traffic police station limits, three blackspots were addressed. “We used to have several pedestrian accidents near MC Circle because it did not have a centre median. We closed that with the help of the BBMP and barricaded the service road entry points to West of Chord Road,” said the traffic inspector attached to the station.

A raised median to enhance commuter safety at Magadi Road.

A senior official from the BBMP's Traffic Engineering Cell explained how the process worked. “The traffic police regularly write to us, requesting infrastructural improvements at blackspots. We get details of the number of accidents at each spot and assess what measures can be taken,” said the official.

Based on the availability of grants, they prioritise works based on their importance. “If skywalks are needed, we temporarily fix an HRPC to slow down vehicles because tender processes for skywalks can take a year or longer,” he said.

Fixing the centre median can cost between Rs 80 lakh to Rs 1 crore per kilometre, while HRPCs cost about Rs 5 lakh per unit, and rumble strips in each section cost about Rs 70,000 to Rs 80,000.