Multiple infrastructure projects across the city, be it Namma Metro work, laying underground electricity cables or drainage work, white-topping or just poor planning, the city’s roads have either shrunk in size or become inaccessible in many areas.
Completed or ongoing projects have made it difficult for citizens to access various places, including hospitals, where easy access is vital, especially in cases of emergency. A recent addition to this list has been the Sri Jayadeva Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences and Research.
Jayadeva hospital
The Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd. (BMRCL) began the last leg of demolition of the Jayadeva flyover in the third week of January. The flyover is being razed to the ground to make way for an elevated road-cum-rail corridor, which will include Jayadeva Junction interchange metro station. This has resulted in complete closure of the flyover. The flyover previously connected R.V. Road to Central Silk Board junction, infamous for traffic snarls. A few patients and regular visitors to Sri Jayadeva Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences and Research said the problem started in December 2018, when the service road from Diary Circle towards Bannerghatta Road and Central Silk Board junction was closed for the construction of the elevated section of the Gottigere–Nagawara metro line. Later, in July 2019, the BMRCL started the demolition of the loop that connected Bannerghatta Road and Central Silk Board junction, adding to the woes.
A traffic policeman posted near Jayadeva hospital junction said that since there was no change in traffic movement at the Jayadeva underpass from both sides, the situation was under control to an extent. “However, the traffic diversion is quite confusing for those who are not familiar with the routes here. Also, metro work on Bannerghatta road has shrunk the size of roads, resulting in traffic snarls,” he said.
An ambulance driver said that since the daytime traffic includes BMTC buses and ambulances, it was not a problem for them.
Though the median near the two gates of Jayadeva hospital have been opened for the convenience of those going to the hospital, reaching it from Bannerghatta Road, Central Silk Board, and BTM Layout side have become difficult, mainly owing to traffic and dust. On the other side, the road between Ragi Gudda junction and BTM Layout Circle is heavily congested, with very little scope for road-widening.
C.V. Raman hospital
Indiranagar 80 ft road sees a lot of vehicular movement as it connects C.V. Raman Nagar, Kaggadasapura, Vigyan Nagar, Thippasandra, and Defence Colony to Old Madras Road. The road is now being white-topped on the side on the which C.V. Raman General Hospital is situated. “C.V. Raman hospital has a lot of visitors. However, it only has one entrance and that road is being white-topped now. A portion of the road has been left open to enter the hospital which is not easy to use or even identify,” a hospital employee said. A patient at the hospital said that during peak hours, it was not easy to get inside the hospital or to go out. “For two-wheelers and four-wheelers, it is a big problem as the other part of the road is being used for vehicular movement from both the sides, making it dangerous,” the patient said.
Narayana Health City
Hosur Road, a national highway, sees a lot of vehicular movement especially during holidays and weekends. Narayana Health City, a multispeciality hospital, on this busy highway often gets calls from anxious family members seeking help to reach the hospital. “We often advice those contacting us to first approach a nearby hospital, ensure the patient is stabilised and then shift the patient to our facility either later at night or early in the morning, so as to avoid getting stuck in traffic,” said a hospital spokesperson.
Traffic jams are common on the road, especially with the ongoing Namma Metro work on the R.V. Road–Bommasandra line. Snarls are also reported, especially during peak hours, on the elevated corridor. Hospital authorities claimed that they often ask those manning the toll booths of the corridor to ensure that ambulances are not allowed to use the corridor in case of any traffic jams. “Toll booth personnel get information when there is a traffic jam on the corridor. There have been many instances when ambulances have got stuck in jams on the elevated corridor,” the hospital spokesperson said.
Another disadvantage is that the service road in front of the hospital is a two-way. That apart, vehicles have to go till Chandapura, which is a good kilometre away from the medical facility, to take a turn to the service road to reach the hospital. “The alternative is the Bommasandra underpass through which people can reach the service road,” the spokesperson said.
NIMHANS
On a 1.2-km-long stretch of road from 12th Cross, Hosur Road to Jayanagar ‘T’ Block are five hospitals, including the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS), Kidwai Memorial Institute of Oncology, and Jayanagar General Hospital, and hence see a high frequency of ambulance movement almost every day.
The road, however, is heavily congested during peak hours, hampering access to these hospitals. “The road is so congested that if used for ambulances, the golden hour is almost always lost on the road,” said B.N. Gangadhar, Director, NIMHANS. What only adds to the congestion is erratic parking of both two-wheelers and four-wheelers on either side of the road. The road also does not have a median, which only adds to the chaos. “Traffic police must put a median on the road, separate the traffic of the two lanes and strictly ban any parking on the road on either side. This will ease the traffic movement on the road to a great extent,” Dr. Gangadhar said.
A throughfare cutting across the NIMHANS campus has also posed a great risk for both patients and hospital staff, as most of the traffic entering the campus is unrelated to the institute.
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