The City's speedbreakers might have been put in place to foster safety on the roads but truth is, they leave a lot to be desired. In fact, most Bangaloreans firmly dismiss these speedbreakers as being in a uniformly deplorable condition.
The list of complaints is endless — they are scattered seemingly at random across the City, are constructed in an unscientific manner and demarcated rather poorly. Few of them sport stripes of reflective paint — meant to aid visibility at night — and signs that indicate a breaker further along the road are conspicuous in their absence.
As Subramanya, a professional, puts it rather succinctly — "In short, the state of these speedbreakers is quite pathetic. Something needs to be done about this immediately."
One of the chief complaints that drivers have against the breakers is their poor visibility.
Although a few of the breakers in the City have been painted in vivid shades of yellow and white, most of them remain tar-coloured and well-camouflaged — something which irks unsuspecting drivers.
Subramanya states, "I live in Banashankari III Stage and since I drive everyday, I've noticed this problem several times. I don't think a single speedbreaker near my house is striped. Besides this, there aren't any signs that warn of a speedbreaker and of the few that are there, most are placed in such a way that they are barely visible. This just shows a lack of planning."
The problem, he adds, is compounded at night. "Without the reflective paint, these speedbreakers are practically invisible. This could lead to several accidents," he warns.
The BBMP is aware of this problem but Rajneesh Goel, the body's commissioner, admits that more work has to be done on this front.
"It's true that these speedbreakers aren't not all painted. The BBMP will be looking into it shortly, and we will ensure that the work is carried out in a scientific manner," he assures.
Bangaloreans, however, aren't convinced. Achuthan, a management student, points out, "As a rider, dealing with these speedbreakers is very frustrating. It is a good initiative to control speed, of course — but there's very little clarity on where it's appropriate to put a speedbreaker. Many of them are placed in areas where they aren't needed, which is also a waste of resources."
Pankaj, a resident of Yeshwantpur, shares these sentiments — but what irks him more than shoddy placement is the dilapidated condition of the speedbreakers. "Most of them are so patchy and broken down that it's tough to ride a motorcycle over them — in fact, very often, the bike starts to stall. Because of this, most riders try to swerve to the edge of the speedbreaker to avoid the rough patches, which obviously plays a role in making the roads unsafe," he observes.
Others, though, think that the situation isn't as bad as that. Sharon, an engineering student who lives in HBR Layout, points out, "These speedbreakers are there for a reason — to limit speeding on the roads, which could potentially lead to accidents. Some of them are marked with small lights, which is a pretty good idea. After all, they're there for our own safety."
