Mysore/Mysuru: The Ramanagara District Police have submitted a 54-point report to the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) in its attempt to reduce the number of accidents on the Mysuru-Bengaluru Expressway that has seen a sharp rise in the number of accidents in the recent months.

The Ramanagara Police, along with the Mandya Police, have conducted a comprehensive analysis of the accidents and advised the NHAI to take immediate action to address the safety concerns. In the report, submitted to the NHAI Project Director on June 12, 2023, the Police attributed the accidents to a combination of factors, including speeding, reckless driving and the absence of safety features.

Motorists often fail to react quickly enough when faced with sudden stops, leading to collisions with vehicles ahead or median crashes. Other factors that have been identified as contributing to the high number of accidents include the absence of skywalks, water stagnation, inadequate road signage and insufficient street lighting.

Notably, Ramanagara and Mandya encompass a significant portion of the Expressway. According to Ramanagara Police, they have been carrying out various awareness measures like distributing pamphlets to the motorists, making announcements with loudspeakers on PCR vehicles at accident spots and painting ‘drive slow’ messages on the pillars of the flyover.

However, the Police admit that these measures are not sufficient enough though they are creating an impact in their own way. Every day, over 56,000 vehicles pass on this Expressway and some of the motorists are eager to accelerate once they reach the Expressway after navigating through congested traffic.

Due to break-neck speed — while the Expressway has been designed for a speed of 100 km per hour — motorists often fail to react quickly enough when faced with sudden stops, leading to collisions.

One of the prominent observations by the Police is the lack of towing facility to remove vehicles that have met with accidents. This lapse is leading to accident vehicles lying on the road for hours, causing a mini traffic jam.

Speed cameras

Police have instructed NHAI to install high-quality cameras along the Expressway to monitor and deter over-speeding. Though NHAI had announced in the past that Artificial Intelligence-based cameras will be installed every 500 metres of the Expressway as part of Intelligent Traffic Management System, nothing has materialised so far.

The report pointed out that high-definition cameras have been installed only at Toll Plazas and the rest of the Expressway does not have them, proving a headache to the Police in identifying the vehicles for penal action for overspeeding or being involved in hit-and-run accidents. 

Installation of signboards

The NHAI has been directed to install signages at 14 access points connecting the service road to the main carriageway. Currently, many of these access points lack proper signage. Some of the signages and blinkers have been unscientifically laid and these are not visible to the motorists. Signages indicating village limits and accident-prone zones must be placed on the service road to enhance safety awareness. The need for speed breakers on the service road has also been emphasised. The report has noted that many entry and exit points do not have signboards.

Construction of skywalks or subways

 A couple of skywalks or subways must be constructed at different locations. The report pointed out that for instance, at Kaniminike, the absence of a skywalk poses risks for villagers crossing the busy road. Similarly, farmers near Sheshagiri village face difficulties accessing their farmlands without a skywalk.

The Police report has recommended skywalks at Babusapalya (Kengeri check-post),  Kaniminike, Hanumanthanagar, S.B. Doddi, Sankalagere Cross and Belakere Gate.

Road issues

The Police have identified certain engineering flaws that result in the accumulation of stagnant water at various locations, leading to accidents. Specific areas, such as Kumbalgodu and Kanimike Colony, have been highlighted. Several design flaws have been pointed out where the road is full of undulations at a couple of places.

Accidents in Kumbalgodu, Bidadi, Ramanagara, Channapatna Traffic Stations
Month	Fatal accidents	Deaths	Non-fatal	Injured accidents
January 2023	13	13	50	63
February 2023	13	13	30	51
March 2023	16	16	48	76
April 2023	14	18	52	100
May 2023	29	31	56	75
Total	85	91	236	365