After repeatedly asking the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) to introduce pedestrian-friendly traffic management solutions for the Bengaluru-Mysuru expressway, the Karnataka Police have decided to implement an ‘intelligent traffic system’ along the stretch by the end of the year. Confirming the plan, Alok Kumar, additional director general of police, traffic, and road safety, Karnataka, told the Indian Express that the state police will soon float a tender on the government e-marketplace (GEM) portal asking for bids to set up an intelligent traffic system to reduce road accidents. The decision comes after the 118-km-long Bengaluru-Mysuru expressway, which was inaugurated in March, witnessed several fatal accidents. While 29 road accident deaths were recorded in May this year, the number came down to six in August, following stringent traffic management measures implemented by the police. Although Kumar did not disclose the expenditure at which the system will be set up, he said that it will cover the basics of traffic management solutions like installing an Automatic Number Plate Recognition System (ANPRS), Red Light Violation (RLV) cameras, and real-time speed inspectors, among others. In addition, it will also have a Sectional Overspeed Detection System and sensor-based solutions to curb speeding. “The Sectional Overspeed Detection System should be able to capture the speed of a vehicle along different sections of the expressway. We will have… sensors installed at 10-15 sections of the highway… If a driver violates the speed limit in any one of the sections, he/she will be booked in real-time and an e-challan will be sent to him/her,” said Kumar. He added, “The sensor-based system will capture the speed of the vehicle at a distance of 150 metre. The LED sign boards installed at different sections of the highway will display the front side image of the vehicle, along with the vehicle number and the speed, in case of violation. The other traffic management solutions such as ANPRS, and RLV cameras are basic installations that will also capture the violation… The ANPRS can flag lane violations, one-way driving, and violation of seatbelt rules, among others.” Kumar also observed that most of the accidents were recorded between the Channapatna and Maddur stretch because of the curvilinear design of the road. “In fact, it is also coupled with a straight stretch which prompts the driver to overspeed, thus resulting in negligent driving. In fact, 44 per cent of the accidents recorded involve SUV cars, while 40 per cent of the accidents involve sedan cars. SUV cars are prone to accidents because they seamlessly allow over-speeding. While other cars are designed to absorb the risk to a greater extent and mitigate accidents. Our ultimate goal is to bring down the number of road fatalities and accidents to zero. It is difficult, but it is not impossible,” said Kumar. Road fatalities recorded since March 12: March – 20 April – 23 May – 29 June – 28 July – 8 August – 6
