The main carriage of the 10-lane Bengaluru-Mysuru expressway will be out of bounds for two-wheelers and autorickshaws from August 1. The latest decision has been taken to deal with an increasing number of accidents on the important highway connecting two important cities in Karnataka.
A total of 296 accidents and 132 deaths occurred on the highway in the first six months of the year. The 118-km expressway inaugurated on March 12 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has come under the scanner for the high rate of accidents and fatalities ever since.
After elected representatives from the region echoed concerns about the accidents and raised questions about the design of the expressway, the police department swung into action.
A notification was issued by the National Highways Authority of India on July 12 to enforce the ban on bikes, autos, and tractors along with multi-axle hydraulic trailer vehicles, and quadricycles, which will have to take the service road. The NHAI has reasoned that the “movement of high-speed vehicles may pose a risk to the safety of certain classes of comparatively slow-moving vehicles”.
Additional director general of police (ADGP) Alok Kumar, who inspected the expressway for the second time in the past month, said that the NHAI initially had a speed limit of 120 kmph for its expressways but after a Madras High Court order last year it was changed to 100 kmph and motorists had to follow it. He also instructed the NHAI and contractors to undertake certain changes in the design and signage of the highway to make it safer. “They have to fix issues we have pointed out but if they don’t change it, if there is any major accident, then we will book them for contributory negligence,” he said
Recently videos of vehicles like autos and two-wheelers driving on the wrong side of the main carriageway had shocked travellers.
Lorry driving wrong side at Bengaluru-Mysuru expressway. This time a truck almost caused a crash. Video caught on dashcam and sent to me by one of the followers. @alokkumar6994 @spramanagara @MandyaPolice Unfortunately, number plate could not be read due to dashcam resolution pic.twitter.com/3AnEU3Tx4a— ThirdEye (@3rdEyeDude) July 24, 2023
But the latest decision of the NHAI has disappointed several bike users, especially those who regularly travel by the expressway to Mysuru and beyond. “Most accidents have been caused by reckless driving and lack of lane discipline by vehicles like trucks. But two-wheelers are soft targets. Are they building these roads for only the rich?” asked Sumanth, a bike rider who often uses the expressway.
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