Bikers taking shelter from rain in underpasses & under flyovers to be fined: Bangalore Police

We have seen two-wheeler riders taking shelters under a flyover or an underpass while it is raining heavily, just to protect themselves from getting wet. However, such practices obstruct the traffic and in many instances, it causes chaotic situations leading to traffic mismanagement. Citing this issue, Bengaluru traffic police has decided to penalize those people who will be taking shelter under the elevated roads during rainfall.

According to Bengaluru traffic police, such two-wheeler riders who take shelter under a flyover or an underpass put the lives of other people at risk by obstructing the flow of traffic. To stop this, the traffic police will now be imposing fines of Rs 500 on first-time offenders and Rs 1,000 for repeat offenders. Motorists stopping like this can cause bottlenecks and create traffic jams. This is one of the reasons why traffic and travel time increase soon after it rains.

Also read: Modified Royal Enfield Thunderbird 500 motorcycle from Eimor Customs look beautiful

Motorists taking shelter get hit by others

In a recent interaction with the media, Joint Commissioner of Police (traffic), BR Ravikanthe Gowda, said that four motorists who took shelter under a flyover during rain sustained serious injuries when they got hit by other vehicles. These motorists were knowingly or unknowingly obstructing the flow of traffic, which is not permitted in traffic laws.

Gowda also added that all these accidents involving these motorists have happened in the last month when the monsoon was at its prime in Bengaluru. The places in Bengaluru where these accidents took place are under the flyovers at KS Layout, KR Puram, High Grounds and JB Nagar. While the motorists sustained severe injuries, luckily no casualties have been reported.

During monsoons, two-wheeler riders take shelter under flyovers, which have become a nuisance in those areas of the city where the flow of traffic is usually high. In such cases, these people cause unwanted traffic jams, which causes furthermore chaos. Most of these underpasses have poor lighting setups, which can cause dangerous accidents, especially during night hours when the visibility is low. The visibility further drops during heavy rainfall, which is the prime reason behind the recent four accidents that happened in Bengaluru.

Concluding his statement, Gowda has said that he will be appointing traffic policemen at most of the flyovers. These policemen will be keeping an eye on those people who will be breaking this new rule of not taking shelter under flyovers during rainfall. However, at the same time, Gowda also added that it is difficult for Bengaluru traffic police to monitor all the flyovers at a given point in time. He added that in such cases of heavy rainfall, people can take shelter at BMTC bus stops or any other coverings which are distanced from the main roads.

Also read: BSA Motorcycles unveil Gold Star 650: Will Rival Royal Enfield 650 Twins