The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Students demand road safety

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Nov 04, 2009
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Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Students demand road safety

Staff Reporter

Palace Road and Seshadri Road have become unmanageable, they say

BBMP accused of not considering pedestrian safety
‘Students, elderly find it difficult to cross the road’

— Photo K. Murali Kumar

TOUGH TALK: Students took the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike to task for what they called insensitive planning.

Bangalore: College students, fed up with what they called insensitive planning of infrastructure projects that compromised on pedestrian safety, organised a protest here on Tuesday.

The students of S.J. Polytechnic, Government Home Science College joined their Maharani’s College counterparts in the protest held under the aegis of All-India Democratic Students Organisation (AIDSO), All-India Democratic Youth Organisation (AIDYO) and All-India Mahila Samskruthika Sanghatane (AIMSS).

Tough to cross

B. Ravinandan from the AIDYO said that while there was a skywalk on Seshadri Road, students found it very difficult to cross Palace Road, where the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike has constructed a grade separator recently .

“There is a free left to Palace Road from Seshadri Road and free left to Seshadri Road from Palace Road on either side of the grade separator. There is neither a zebra crossing on Palace Road nor are there footpaths. The students and elderly find it very difficult to cross the road,” he said.

Herculean task

Many students alleged that their problems compounded after the grade separator was constructed.

“Earlier, there were at least footpaths for us to walk. Now, after roads have been widened and grade separator constructed, it is a Herculean task for students to cross the road and walk up to the bus stop,” Mr. Ravinandan added.

Raising slogans against Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), the students demanded installation of a traffic signal at Maharani’s College Circle, providing zebra crossing at the junction, and installing barricades on top of the grade separator to avoid accidents.

BBMP Executive Engineer Basavaraju, who came to the spot, assured the agitating students that barricades would be installed on top of the grade separator within two days and speed breakers would put near the free left to ensure that vehicles slow down.

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