Bengaluru: Bengaluru's notorious traffic has long been a source of public frustration, but a new report detailing accident 'black spots' for the 2023-2025 period points out many of the city's busiest stretches are also its most deadly.
Bengaluru Traffic Police (BTP) officials have officially mapped 64 critical locations, where a dangerous mix of high-speed transit and poor road engineering continues to claim lives.
The report, exclusively accessed by DH, identifies East Bengaluru, specifically zones under Banasawadi, K R Pura, and HAL Airport, as the city's primary fatality hub.
These areas, dominated by the Outer Ring Road (ORR) and National Highways, suffer from a severe infrastructure-safety gap.
East Bengaluru has emerged as the city's most dangerous region, with the highest concentration of high-risk locations. The Banasawadi Traffic Police Station jurisdiction alone accounts for four major black spots, including the ORR near the Croma showroom, Ramamurthy Nagara ASR Kalyana Mantapa, Tinfactory Skywalk to Hanging Bridge Madeena Masjid Old Madras Road and the Babusapalya bus stand ORR.
KR Pura follows closely with four lethal locations, primarily concentrated on NH-75, such as the Bhattarahalli to Medahalli bridge, Bescom Office, KR Pura to Bus Depo Junction Old Madras Road, Avalahalli, opposite the Toyota Showroom and the Katamnallur cross.
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Speaking to DH, Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Karthik Reddy said, "A black spot is a 500m stretch where three or more fatal accidents have occurred in the last three years." He noted that the identification is an ongoing process involving joint inspections by the RTO, police, and road owners like NHAI or GBA after every fatal crash to identify engineering defects.
For those navigating these stretches, "crossing the road near Babusapalya is fraught with danger," said Anitha Kumari, a regular commuter. "There is no separation between high-speed vehicles and pedestrians heading to the bus stand."
Resident Welfare Associations' (RWAs) in North Bengaluru have echoed these concerns, pointing to the Jakkur Flyover and Palanahalli Gate as 'death traps' due to poor lighting and high-speed traffic.
"The NHAI response has been very poor despite these stretches being most accident-prone," Reddy noted. While authorities claim six spots were permanently rectified last year, five new locations have been added to the 2025 watchlist due to changing traffic patterns and the conversion of village roads into city roads.