From St. Philomena’s Church Junction to Dodda Gadiyara

Mysuru: In a joint initiative, the City Traffic Police and the Mysuru City Corporation (MCC) have taken up the development of Ashoka Road, located in the heart of the city, as a ‘Zero Tolerance’ stretch — aiming to set an example in effective traffic management.

The Zero Tolerance Road will feature scientifically designed road humps, installation of ‘reflective cat eyes’ to improve night-time visibility, clear ‘No Parking’ and ‘Parking’ signboards, and strict enforcement of traffic rules with penal action against violators.

Despite its heritage value and over a century of rich history, Ashoka Road has often made headlines for the wrong reasons — chaotic vehicle parking, narrow lanes branching from the main stretch and poor stormwater drainage, among other issues. Authorities hope that this initiative will address long-standing problems and transform Ashoka Road into a model for safe and orderly urban traffic.

Frequent accidents: The increase in vehicle density is often ending up in accidents on Ashoka Road.

The accidents have been posing a serious challenge to the Traffic Police, who though leave no stone unturned to create awareness on traffic rules among the public, by conducting regular patrolling, making repeated announcements on microphone and levying spot fine on the offenders.

By developing the very stretch of road as ‘Zero Tolerance Road’, the City Police aim to convert it into a safe road both for vehicle and pedestrian movement. An elaborate plan has been drawn to be implemented in coordination with the City Police to adopt accident-free measures on 2-km long stretch of the road from St. Philomena’s Church to Rangacharlu Town Hall via Nehru Circle. Prior to executing the plans, Narasimharaja (N.R.) Traffic Police and Devaraja Traffic Police, along with  Zonal Officer Prathima of MCC Zone-6, Engineers Dhanush, Chandrashekar and Krishnamurthy, have conducted a joint survey to assess the present conditions and study the pros and cons.

A prominent commercial hub

Ashoka Road is one of the prominent commercial hubs, dotted with jewellery and hardware shops, with heavy vehicle density being witnessed throughout the day.

Several issues like haphazard parking of two-wheelers and four-wheelers, zero road humps in Lashkar Mohalla, Mandi Mohalla and Halladakeri Cross streets connecting Ashoka Road, absence of lane discipline (without yellow and white painted strips), non-installation of traffic sign boards have been noticed during the survey.

Several measures have been taken to give a facelift to the road like- beautification of Dodda Gadiyara Circle (Silver Jubilee Clock Tower in front of Rangacharlu Town Hall), Nehru Circle in front of Lashkar Police Station and St. Philomena’s Church Junction, by painting white strips at the circles and roads, parking zones marked by white paint and installation of sign boards.

Apart from asphalting works, the pedestrian way on either side of the road will be uplifted with kerb stones, followed by installation of street lights and a fool-proof system to ensure free flow of stormwater during rain.

With MCC tasked with executing civil works, Zonal Officer Prathima is enthusiastic in this regard and the Police are preparing to lay road humps in a total scientific manner and are also getting ready to implement other features.

A model Zero Tolerance Zone

It has been decided to upgrade basic infrastructure to ensure public safety and smooth traffic flow at Lashkar Mohalla, Mandi Mohalla and Ashoka Road. Instead of repeating outdated traffic systems, we are adopting advanced technology to implement a ‘Zero Tolerance’ system on Ashoka Road, setting it up as a ‘Model Facility’. The Mysuru City Corporation (MCC) is handling civil works, while the City Police will install traffic equipment. I urge the public to support this joint effort by the MCC and the Police.

 —Seema Latkar, City Police Commissioner

MCC to back Police plan

In line with the City Police’s proposal to develop Ashoka Road — the city’s oldest road — as an ‘Accident-Free Zone’, the MCC has taken up the necessary civil works. I have inspected the progress twice and continue to monitor the site regularly. For the first time, a ‘Model Road’ is being developed here. If this initiative benefits the public as intended, similar improvements will gradually be extended to other roads in the city.

 —Shaikh Tanveer Asif, MCC Commissioner

By S.T. Ravikumar