Its not just about collecting toll and being smug about it. The six-lane airport flyover connecting Hebbal with the KIA Trumpet Interchange built and operated by Navayuga has become an accident hotspot with the word toll literally meaning death toll.
Fatal accidents have been occurring at an alarming rate both during the day and at night due to reckless driving, over speeding and a large number of service roads that merge with it unscientifically. The signal lights too at various intersections have added to the confusion as vehicles slow down to either turn or stop while speeding vehicles ram them from behind.
Air passengers, airport workers, cab drivers and even innocent bystanders have ended up becoming victims. While it is easy to point fingers at airport cabs for being reckless, there are other adrenalin seekers to blame too as the average speed on the freeway easily touches 120 kmph. Add to it slow moving vehicles such as autorickshaws, two-wheelers, trucks and school buses and vehicle owners who stop to take in the view from atop the flyover, it’s a deadly combination of size and speed.
The lack of a non-tolled service road, like on other highways leading into the city, and the winter fog has made it even more dangerous - everyone seems to be on a wing and a prayer.
The blame also lies with Navayuga. The company managing the highway has one patrol vehicle while a crane, a tow vehicle or an ambulance is only parked at the far end, closer to the grand toll plaza. There is absolutely no video surveillance of the stretch which will help increase reaction time during emergencies. ``We pay Rs 120 for a cab or a car. There is absolutely no safety. Just last month, as there was an accident on the opposite lane, many drivers parked haphazardly and forced traffic to crawl. These drivers don’t help, they just park and visit the spot out of curiosity! This led to two more accidents within minutes,’’ says Sudhakar G, a cab driver who was slapped for trying to educate fellow drivers not to cause inconvenience to other road users.
The highway patrol operated by Navayuga is invisible and there is not even a single CCTV camera to monitor the flow of traffic on such an important corridor. ``Navayuga can easily fix some video cameras, atleast at dangerous intersections, but they are not bothered on safety,’’ says a hospital staffer who sees atleast three-five minor and major accident victims wheeled in per week.
Bangalore Traffic Police estimate 2 lakh vehicles pass through this stretch of north Bangalore everyday. It has deployed Interceptor jeeps which have speed guns to check overspeeding, but regular drivers know the two points these vehicles are stationed at. ``The airport cabs emit a beep if they cross 90 kmph but the drivers do not care though the speed limit is 80 kmph. I had a scary experience of the loud beeping 23 times, but the driver refused to slow down. If I complain to the cab company, they always put the blame on the passenger who they claim was getting late to catch flights,’’ says Ajay Kumar, a techie who travelled from Electronics City.
Vijay, the manager of ProLife Hospital in Byatarayanapura says they get 4-5 near-fatal accident victims every month shifted from other nearby hospitals to be attended by their emergency trauma, orthopaedic and neuro surgeons. ``The number of accident victims are certainly more as there are other hospitals too on this stretch. It is a hazardous road 24/7,’’ he declares.
Many cases go unreported as it’s a hit-and-run or self accidents. The victims are taken to the nearest hospital once the vehicle starts again and the incident is never reported, says an 108 Ambulance driver. Only when the tollway gets jammed, police and Navayuga swing into action, by which time there is no way an ambulance can reach especially in the section between Hebbal and Yelahanka bypass which goes overhead.
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