On an average, four to five mishaps take place on Eluru Road between Padavalarevu and Ramavarappadu with the people largely complaining about the inconvenience being caused by the road dividers set up as part of the Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS).
The major complaint from the public is that they are getting confused because of the manner in which the dividers are set up. Because of this confusion, there are frequent wrong judgements with the drivers losing control and leading to accidents. The problem is high during nights, when the light is poor and the dividers are too small to be noticed.
No major accident took place in the past one month, but the police are a worried lot about the dangers arising out of the haphazard positioning of the dividers on a busy road. Adding to their fears, this stretch of road is highly vulnerable to road accidents in view of the heavy rush of people at Mary Matha Church and Ramgopal Theatre areas. The problem at Sivalayam centre is no different.
The dividers are set up to create a central lane as per the design under the BRTS project in the stretch between Padavalarevu and Ramavarappadu. Road users are getting confused whether they could use the central lane in the first place and whether there is only one way in this lane and, if so, in which direction it can be used.
Assistant Commissioner of Police (traffic) A.V. Ramana told The Hindu that in view of the problems for road safety, they have asked the VMC to remove the road dividers in this stretch for the time being. “Works are still going on in this stretch. On the side margins, the road is dug at some places leaving little space for traffic. Such issues are there and this has been taken to the notice of the municipal corporation officials,” he said.
Lack of traffic signals at Padavalarevu centre, where the BRTS road joins the Eluru Road, is also posing problems. The BRTS design seems to be created keeping in mind the behaviour of road users in foreign countries.
