A tragic road accident in Bengaluru between a Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) electric bus and a 58-year-old pedestrian killed a local man on Thursday night. A road accident on Manganahalli Cross in the vicinity of Jnanabharathi Traffic Police Station raised some new questions on road safety and public transport vehicles operating in Bengaluru.
The deceased was Raju, a construction worker who made his money from masonry work. Initial information was that Raju was going home after finishing his work and walking along the road when the accident took place.
Police said a BMTC electric bus ran over the pedestrian, causing him to die. The impact of the collision was so strong that Raju died before medical attention could arrive. His loss has devastated his family and angered the residents who watched the incident, police said.
Witnesses say that when the bus collided, it was moving fast. The driver didn’t notice the pedestrian walking on the road, according to residents. Many people gathered at the accident site soon after and called for road safety laws to be stricter.
The victim was the sole breadwinner of his family and was a hardworking labourer in the area, neighbours and friends said.
After the incident, police personnel from Jnanabharathi Traffic Police Station arrived at the scene and started an investigation. A case has been registered, and officials have started looking into what led to the fatal accident.
Investigators are also looking at video from the bus’s dashboard camera and CCTV cameras placed near the accident site. The aim is to determine if the driver was speeding, whether there was negligence, and whether traffic laws were being complied with at the time of the incident.
At the same time, it has also reignited the debate about Bengaluru's electric buses. Although electric buses are green and the reduction of pollution in cities is a key to reducing pollution, there have been some people who were not happy with their quiet operation.
Neighbouring residents said electric buses do not produce as much noise as diesel-powered cars, and that could make it harder for pedestrians to see approaching buses, especially in crowded urban areas. But authorities have not said the silent nature of the vehicle was to blame for the accident, and the exact cause is still under investigation.
Road safety activists have also called on transport authorities to expand driver training programs and improve awareness campaigns aimed at both motorists and pedestrians. They say that technological advancements in public transport should be accompanied by robust safety measures to prevent avoidable tragedies.
Police officials have said they will take strict action if the investigation establishes negligence on the part of the driver. All evidence, including digital footage and witness accounts, will be studied, they said, so that no conclusions will be drawn.
The incident serves as another reminder of the importance of road safety in rapidly growing urban centres. Drivers and pedestrians have been asked to remain safe and obey traffic rules to prevent accidents and save lives.
