Road widening proposal in Bangalore hits a roadblock

A road-widening proposal of the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) at Sankey Tank under its Vision-2015 has hit a roadblock, as residents staged a protest against the destruction of green canopy in the area. Considering the increasing heat, residents say, any plan that further depletes the city’s green cover cannot be allowed to pass.  Dr Rajan Balasubramaniam, a radiologist and a committee member of the Lower Palace Orchard Residents’ Welfare Association, spoke to DNAAre road-widening programmes entirely without benefit to the area’s residents? All development programmes have both positive and negative sides. But widening of the stretch between Cauvery Theatre Circle and Bhashyam Circle is of absolutely no benefit. Any road widening will be inconsequential after some time, considering the steadily increasing vehicular traffic. We can’t go on building overpasses at every junction, just because the BBMP wants to have a signal-free corridor. These only serve to shift the traffic pile-up to the next junction. Do you agree with Aramane Nagar corporator Dr Shivaprasad’s statement that “people have to suffer in the course of development”?I am not sure of the context in which he said that. In the specific context of road-widening, it is not just ‘some people’ but all Bangaloreans who will suffer. We all will need to pay a huge price for unjustifiable destruction of trees. Most of the green cover in Bangalore is along its main roads. And these trees now face the axe, thanks to the BBMP’s Vision- 2015. We are already facing the consequences of tree loss in terms of decreasing rainfall, erratic weather patterns and increasing mercury levels.  Do you think increased vehicular traffic on the proposed corridor could pose a threat? Definitely. Just see how many pedestrian deaths have been reported from the stretch leading to the new airport.  Pedestrians experience difficulty in measuring the speed of an oncoming vehicle; getting across three lanes of traffic to reach the median is no mean feat. There are four schools in the vicinity, and the problem is compounded by the large number of kids. One can’t build pedestrian underpasses at every few metres.  Apart from this, there are a considerable number of senior citizens in the area. They need to cross the road to access the Sankey Park. I am not saying the existing road is easy to cross, but the widening of it will double the problem. Bangalore is one of the world’s most pedestrian unfriendly cities. Could you suggest an alternative plan for the BBMP to consider? The corridor that is being constructed via CV Raman and Bellary Road with fewer junctions and intersections can be considered as an alternative. It is just 1km longer than the length of the proposed corridor. Once Jayamahal road is widened it will be easier to reach central Bangalore. The long-term solution is good mass transport.