BENGALURU: A Tactical Urbanism trial was launched at Attibele Junction, a key intersection on the southeast border between Bengaluru in Karnataka and Hosur in Tamil Nadu, and the site of many highway crashes.
Tactical Urbanism (TU) trials are temporary, quick and relatively low-cost interventions that assist in testing urban design, transportation planning and infrastructural changes to improve road safety for all road users, especially the most vulnerable ones, like pedestrians, cyclists and other non-motorised transport users. Once the interventions are proven, government agencies are expected to make them permanent.
The initiative was taken up by SaveLIFE Foundation (SLF) in partnership with the National Highways Authority of India, Karnataka State Police, with support from HDFC ERGO General Insurance, to reduce road crashes and fatalities.
“As per the Karnataka State Police records, the intersection, within a 1-km radius, witnessed a total of 32 crashes between 2020 and 2022, 10 of which were fatal. Located at the crossroad of National Highway 44, and roads connecting to Sarjapur on one side and Anekal on the other, the intersection lies near Attibele Industrial Area. The crossings at the intersection alone are used by an average of 34,000 pedestrians, and 71,000 vehicles pass through the intersection daily,” as per a press release from SLF.
The major TU interventions undertaken at Attibele Junction include demarcation of travel lanes for streamlining vehicular and pedestrian movement, demarcation of a Safe School Zone with dedicated pick-up and drop-off spaces and parking facilities, traffic calming measures such as Transverse and Longitudinal Bar Markings and manual signalisation at the junction. Other significant interventions include the earmarking of dedicated space for bus stops and intermediate para-transit stands near the intersection, as well as the creation of dedicated parking spaces.
MV Rajeev Gowda, vice-chairman, of the State Institute for Transforming Karnataka (Policy Planning Commission), Government of Karnataka, said, “The tactical redesign at Attibele Junction is a timely and essential project that not only enhances safety but sets a replicable model for the entire state.”