RAMANAGARA: The much talked about Bengaluru-Mysuru Expressway, which is touted to reduce the travel time betwee Bengaluru and Mysuru from four hours to 75 minutes, has turned into a hotspot for accidents.
Traffic on the highway started in the first week of September 2022 and till date, 849 road accidents have occurred, leaving 155 people dead and 213 people seriously injured. In the stretch coming under Ramanagara district alone, 279 accidents have occurred so far while 100 people have died.
This has raised concerns about the safety of motorists and alleged unscientific construction of the highway itself. Most of the accidents are due to excessive speeding in violation of the speed limit, jump lanes without signalling, not following lane discipline, among others. The bypass roads too have witnessed many accidents.
Ramanna, a resident of Ramanagara, said, “There are no signboards on the highway for vehicles, no control on speed, reckless driving and violations of traffic norms. A major issue is that there are no signages on the expressway. There is no availability of ambulance service or emergency treatment facilities in cases of accidents. This has led to an increase in the death toll”.
Superintendent of Police Karthik Reddy said, “The police department has taken many precautionary measures regarding the increase in the number of accidents on highways. We have already checked the highway with the officials of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and identified black spots. Also, we have instructed them to correct the unscientific work in some places, fix defects including putting up notice boards and speed limit sensors. Also, the police department has taken steps to make motorists aware of road safety on the highway”.
The expressway, which was supposed to be make travel convenient and faster for motorists, has turned into a death trap. Citizens are demanding that the NHAI take appropriate action in this regard to reduce the number of accidents.