Faced with an increasing number of accidents, including fatal ones, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has banned two-wheelers, autos, tractors, non-motorised vehicles, multi-axle hydraulic trailer vehicles, and quadricycles from the main carriageways of the Bengaluru-Mysuru Expressway from August 1.
In a notification, the NHAI stated: “The movement of high-speed vehicles may pose a risk to the safety of certain classes of comparatively slow-moving vehicles, for example, two-wheelers, three-wheelers and other slow-moving vehicles like non-motorised vehicles, agricultural tractors (with or without trailers), due to their vulnerability and associated speed differentials, and compromises road safety aspects.” The NHAI said that alternative routes and roads are available for such classes of vehicles.
The demand for such a ban has been there ever since the number of accidents on the new expressway started climbing steadily. Earlier this month, answering a question in the Legislative Assembly, Home Minister G. Parameshwara said 100 people lost their lives in 84 accidents that occurred on the Bengaluru-Mysuru Expressway in the last four months, while 223 non-fatal accidents took place on the expressway injuring over 300 people.
“This Access Controlled Highway has been developed as a high-speed corridor, and the maximum speed limit for motor vehicles of various descriptions for the Access Controlled Highway have been notified, varying between 80 km/hour to 100 km/hour,” said the NHAI.
In a bid to stem the alarming number of accidents on the expressway, the police have deployed mobile speed radar guns to book motorists crossing the permissible limit of 100 kmph.
