Encroached footpaths, fast moving vehicles put pedestrians at risk at Wind Tunnel Junction

If you are commuting on HAL Airport Road, you will be greeted by excessive dust, constant honking of horns and traffic chaos at the Wind Tunnel Junction as the underpass construction work has narrowed the road.

Traffic takes at least 400 to 500 meters on both sides and can extend up to 800 meters during peak hours. The situation will worsen as the civic body will soon start extensive work. However, pedestrians are the most vulnerable group as they have little space to move around.

Under the new regulation to facilitate civil affairs, the road to Domlur has been reduced by half and traffic from this section has been diverted to the other main road to Marathahalli, which means the width of the second section has also been reduced.

As the roads became narrower, drivers began to use pedestrian paths to move faster, putting pedestrians’ lives in danger. Pedestrian paths are also not well maintained.

Anisha Shekar, who travels on the road every day, pointed out that the paths were dug up, filled with cables and occupied by construction materials. “Pedestrians need to be extra careful when walking at the Wind Tunnel Junction as two-wheelers move relatively fast to avoid the signal,” he said. “This is an intersection where tragedy is waiting to happen,” he added.

Apart from these issues, if a pedestrian has to cross the other side of the road, the person must wait at least three or four minutes for the traffic to stop. The lack of an overpass near the intersection further exacerbates the problem.