Bengaluru woman dies a month after accident, GBA traffic police coordination under scrutiny
Speed breaker in Bengaluru. Residents had previously written to officials that the accident scene required a speed breaker. | Photo credit: Murali Kumar K
A 57-year-old woman succumbed to her injuries on Wednesday after fighting for her life for a month following a collision with a minibus on the HMT main road in north Bengaluru.
The incident raised questions about coordination between the Bengal Traffic Police (BTP) and the new Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) corporators, as the accident scene required a speed breaker and residents had written to officials much earlier, alerting them to vulnerable stretches of the road.
The deceased was identified as Vijayalakshmi, a resident of HMT Quarters in the same area. On September 30, she was crossing the HMT main road, which connects to the NASIN circle, when she was hit by a minibus. CCTV footage of the accident shows her being thrown into the air before she suffered a heavy fall in which she suffered multiple injuries, including a head injury. She succumbed to her injuries on October 28.
A resident of the same locality told The Hindu that they had already informed the local traffic police station before the accident and warned that the place was accident prone. “Vehicles are moving at high speed on the stretch. Speed breakers are needed at least near the intersection,” she said.
Lack of coordination
According to BTP sources, soon after the accident, they identified a pattern which revealed that the stretch had witnessed nearly seven accidents over a period of over a year. BTP sources said they had sent a letter to GBA, while corporation officials said they had not received any such request.
BTP typically identifies vulnerabilities and requirements such as lane markings, pedestrian bollards and other pedestrian infrastructure. Under the leadership of the erstwhile Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), the Traffic Engineering Cell (TEC) used to coordinate with the BTP and initiate the necessary works.
A senior police officer said that under the new GBA setup, the police sends suggestions to the Traffic Management Center (TMC), which forwards them to the GBA. Proposals are then sent to the respective corporations. However, the hierarchical movement of files leads to delays, even though such small jobs require coordination between officers at the field level.
A senior GBA official told The Hindu that the new corporations also have TECs, but they primarily focus on the skywalk, while the general section oversees lane markings and speed breakers. The official admitted that a shortage of assistant executive engineers across the corporations has hampered the pace of some work as many responsibilities are assigned to junior engineers.
The need for an audit
Bengaluru has about 66 accident black spots, according to BTP sources. While these spots are also awaiting repairs, several volunteers monitoring the traffic scheme point out that roads in residential areas are also prone to accidents, which calls for an audit.
Prasanna Bhat, a traffic volunteer, said accidents are becoming more common on residential roads where two roads intersect perpendicularly. “There is an urgent need for an audit of such sections by BTP or a civic body. The problem may seem minor, but there have been several minor accidents in the past,” he pointed out.
Published – 29 Oct 2026 19:05 IST