Even though the Supreme Court road safety committee has directed the State Governments to reduce road accidents by 50 per cent by 2020 and the Odisha Government is holding a plethora of videoconferences with the concerned authorities to reduce road mishaps, the absence of provisions for pedestrians and non-motorised transport in the under-construction Bomikhal flyover project in Bhubaneswar has put a question mark on the decision-makers and the executing agency in addressing the concern for pedestrians.
The Bomikhal flyover being constructed by the Panda Infra Private limited has a width of only 24 feet and there is no footpath for pedestrians. As the flyover has a narrow width while overtaking by heavy vehicles like buses less space will be left for the traffic from the opposite direction. This would expose the pedestrians and cyclists and can lead to many accidents.
The Works Department has not given a thought to the road safety norms, pointed out Sankhadwani Rasta Suraksha Samiti secretary Prakash Kumar Mohapatra. Mohapatra said that while all shortcomings in road safety engineering and black spots are being removed by the State Government, the technical fault in the new flyover is expected to spiral road accidents and lead to loss of many lives.
Rash driving by vehicle drivers flouting traffic discipline would expose school-going children, senior citizens, differently-abled, women with infants, pregnant women and other pedestrians near-death experiences almost all the time due to absence of footpaths.
It is a shame that such multi-crore mega development projects make their way into the city without any provisions to safeguard the rights of pedestrians and other non-motorised transport. It should have occurred to Works Department, the planners and executioners of this mega project that this junction is also a major thoroughfare for students, residents and office goers.
Neighbourhoods around have a very high density of primary and secondary schools, several higher educational institutes, major hospitals, banks, shopping malls and centres, besides being intensely residential. The roads everywhere are almost always filled with pedestrian and motorised traffic but the planners and the executing agency have absolutely no conception or comprehension of the simple needs of pedestrians and cyclists, said some intellectuals.