It was more than just complaints of traffic choked roads that were registered at the Citizens’ Traffic Forum meeting held across 44 traffic police stations here. Participants at Saturday’s meeting – a feature held during the third week of every month – were armed with specific reasons for the traffic problems – many of them related to bad roads and haphazard parking.
Tension prevailed for some time at the meeting held at the Electronics City station, when residents of the area vented their ire on officials of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) for not maintaining the flyover. The elevated road is pothole-ridden, they complained, adding that waterlogging during the rains also add to their misery, choking traffic and endangering the lives of vehicle-users.
The traffic police had a tough time convincing the crowd. Abhaya Kumar, a resident who takes the elevated flyover to work every day, wanted to meet the NHAI and Bangalore Elevated Tollway Limited (BETL) authorities who maintain the flyover.
Bowing to pressure, the traffic police even tried calling the officials concerned to have a word with the residents, but in vain.
Apart from waterlogging and potholes on Hosur Road, the residents complained about hapazard parking and jaywalking leading to traffic snarls.
“We are planning to rope in private parties to increase the height of the barricades put up in the middle of the roads”, a senior police officer said Speaking about the overall response to the meeting, Additional Commissioner of Police M.A. Saleem said: “A majority of the complaints pertain to haphazard parking on the bylanes, parking on footpaths and traffic congestion. Though many complaints are also about bad roads, we have asked them to approach the civic agencies.”
