BENGALURU: Heavy vehicles, especially overloaded ones, are among the major factors for the city’s damaged roads, says a transportation planner.
“If overloaded trucks ply on a road, it will deteriorate quicker,” said N Ramesh Babu, Senior Transportation Planner, Centre for Infrastructure, Sustainable Transportation and Urban Planning, Indian Institute of Science.
Bad maintenance also contribute to the poor condition of roads. The standards for filling potholes are often ignored and the job is done only ‘superficially’, he said.
The process involves removing dust from the pothole, applying a tack coat, followed by premix carpet.
“If construction and maintenance of roads are taken up in a scientific manner, a bituminous road should last nine years and concrete roads, 25 years,” he said.
“Ensuring that standards set by Indian Road Congress are followed will ensure the roads last longer,” he said.
Apart from heavy vehicles and poor maintenance practices, vehicular density also plays a role in determining the condition of a road.
“Road thickness is ascertained based on the traffic volume count on a particular stretch. If it exceeds the limit, it affects the quality of the road,” he noted.
Tender Sure
Despite the scepticism regarding Tender Sure roads, they have been well planned as civic authorities will not have to dig them up for faulty water connections or telephone lines, he said.
All such infrastructure is located along the pedestrian path. “We need more roads that are designed similarly,” he said.