Video Editor: Kunal Mehra
The Iblur junction is always in a state of flux. It’s one of the main connecting point of some important roads in Bengaluru. Towards one side, we have the ever-burgeoning Sarjapur road and on the other side, the road leads to Silk Board with branches taking you to Hosur-Sarjapur Road (HSR) layout and congested Koramangala. The Outer Ring Road, with its umpteen IT offices, forms the third road that snakes away.
This junction is also a constant peril for pedestrians, with no safe islands to pause at and no zebra crossing/signal provision. A senior citizen has even lost his life here, after he was hit while crossing the last leg of this wide junction. There was no zebra-crossing at that spot, where the signal stays red for only five seconds. The accident occurred right at the doorstep of a hospital and he was rushed there in no time, but he succumbed a day later.
Bellandur Jothege, a citizens’ group, had submitted a proposal to make this place pedestrian-friendly more than nine months before this accident happened, and they have been following up ever since.
We had suggested that three pedestrian islands be build at the Iblur junction to provide safe spots for citizens to pause at while crossing. Along with that, we also asked that the time span of red-light at the signal be increased to at least 15-20 seconds, and High Raised Pedestrian Crossings (HRPCs) be set up at the service roads.
After much ado, civic bodies have started their work, but only after the loss of a life. We now only hope to see a favourable end result, one that comes quickly.
Being able to safely cross a road should be a right of pedestrians.
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