Bengaluru: To put an end to frequent accidents involving two-wheelers on NICE Road, the management of the Nandi Economic Corridor Enterprises (NICE) Limited has decided to close the road for two-wheeler traffic between 10 pm and 5 am from Jan. 16.

This is being done in line with the directives of the Joint Commissioner of Traffic, Bengaluru, stated an official release. 

A NICE official said, “While the circular bans two-wheelers only at nights until further orders, we are working towards making the rule a permanent one for safety reasons.” According to Senior Traffic Police officials, the decision came after the road was seeing a rise in the number of accidents involving two-wheelers at night.

“The road is in the outskirts of the city and at night it is dangerous for two-wheelers. Four-wheelers and other heavy vehicles ply at a high speed on NICE Road and the safety of two-wheelers is important. Thus, we decided to ban two-wheelers,” said the police.

Traffic Police officials also added that a few youths engage in stunts and racing on NICE Road and the ban will help avoid these. Senior Traffic Police officials from the area said, on an average, at least one case involving two-wheelers is reported almost every week. Traffic Police say the lack of adequate street lighting may be causing many of  these accidents.

“Lack of adequate lighting on the road is one of the major contributors to accidents at night. But when we raised this issue, NICE pointed to guidelines of highways which don’t stipulate street lights. The problem is NICE Road has large traffic volumes of trucks and mega carriers during the night, and drivers in these vehicles often cannot even see a two-wheeler on the road in the darkness. Many accidents have been caused because of this. To avoid this, we have directed the firm to bar two-wheelers at night,” explained B.R. Ravikanthe Gowda, Joint Commissioner (Traffic), Bengaluru.

Traffic Police have also observed a few youths indulging in wheeling and racing on the highway, though more often than not, this occurs during the day. However, the road is not entirely free of the menace at night either, say the motorists.