A dangerous place to walk

Roads are turnings into death traps for pedestrians as statistics reveal that of the 900 road deaths reported every year in the city, over 500 are pedestrians.

In the last 30 days, 12 pedestrians died on the city's roads, three of them in hit-and-runs. Statistics reveal that of the 900 road deaths reported every year in the city, over 500 are pedestrians. While the police attribute this to their not following traffic rules, the public blames insufficient policing.

“At least 60 per cent of pedestrians come under the vehicles' wheels due to lack of awareness of traffic rules. Also, common traffic violations such as speeding, drunken driving and breaking one-way rules claim the lives of pedestrians,” A. Nagappa, Assistant Commissioner of Police (Central Sub-Division), told The Hindu .

The most hazardous roads are the arterial roads, peripheral roads, outer and inner ring roads and State highways.

Not from the city

Mr. Nagappa said: “At least 50 per cent of the victims are from neighbouring States and northern parts of the country. And of the victims from the State, a majority are from north Karnataka.”

Nearly 60 per cent of accidents involving pedestrians are caused by heavy transport vehicles (HTV) and light motor vehicles (LMV) while around 20 per cent are caused by motorcycles, he added. Most of those who died were men aged between 45 and 70. Most of the accidents were after dark.

Shrinking footpaths

Pedestrians lay their lives on the line when there are no proper zebra crossings, footpaths, medians, road signs and barricades, besides poor lighting and hazardous maintenance works by public utilities.

Shrinking footpaths, lack of skywalks, pedestrian priority signals, endless digging of footpaths, potholes and footpath encroachments also force pedestrians to walk on the road.