Concrete roads may be touted as an effective fix for pothole-ridden roads, but seem to be causing several issues of their own. Over time, many concrete roads have become ‘smooth’ and turned slippery, especially for two-wheelers during rains. With constant waterlogging, some roads have even developed algae, indicating lack of maintenance, riders complain.
Former Police Commissioner and Aam Aadmi Party leader Bhaskar Rao recently flagged this issue on Twitter. “Beware Bengaluru motorists especially two-wheelers: concrete roads in our city have algae, maintenance matters, and despite your best tyres, they will skid, be careful. Cement Lobby, please also educate us how these roads should be maintained and what equipment is required, at least Citizens can take up with the Civic Authority,” he tweeted.
Riders across the city agree. Dhanush, a student who rides a bike, said he had himself fallen multiple times on concrete roads as the bike skid, especially during rains. Seema Singh, a resident of Hennur, said she had recently fallen down on a concrete road as her scooter skid and narrowly escaped being hurt.
The concrete roads also are impervious, unlike asphalt roads, and do not absorb rainwater into the earth. This coupled with bad drainage systems on certain roads lead to waterlogging and algae growth, potentially causing accidents,” says Ganesh Prasad, a member of Bangalore Political Action Committee (B.PAC).
B.S. Prahalad, Chief Engineer (Road Infrastructure), Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike, said, “No specific instance of concrete roads becoming slippery has come to our notice. If that is the case, the road surface can be recombed to increase the resistance. Many times, worn out tyres also cause vehicles to slip,” he said.
The Bengaluru City Traffic Police had also flagged issues with concrete roads earlier. B.R. Ravikante Gowda, Joint Commissioner (Traffic), Bengaluru, said they had reported certain instances of the concrete roads that had smoothened to BBMP to be fixed. He also said it was difficult to make traffic calming interventions like installing thick rumblers or high-rise pedestrian crossings on these roads.
