PWD, cops differ on how to check crashes on Mysuru Rd

Police: raising median height on Kumbalgod-Maddur stretch no solution

The proposal by the Public Works Department (PWD) to increase the height of the median on the Bengaluru-Mysuru highway to prevent accidents has not gone down well with the police.

Ramanagaram Superintendent of Police, Chandragupta told Deccan Herald that increasing the height is a not permanent solution. Also it would not prevent accidents. His department has been repeatedly asking the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) to create service roads alongside the highway, aside from widening the road.

“This highway is highly accident prone. The load on the road is much higher than what was envisaged. Increasing the height of the median is not going to serve the purpose, neither will installation of fixed barricades. Often vehicles travelling at breakneck speed invariably collide into the median. Our intention is to prevent  accidents entirely,” he added. He also said that the police has sought skywalks and pedestrian pathways. Bidadi, Hejjala and Kumbalgod have been identified as vulnerable spots or blackspots.

The PWD came up with the proposal, following the recent spate of accidents on the 55-km Kumbalgod-Maddur stretch.

In the last one month, three speeding vehicles have hurtled across the median and crashed into vehicles coming from the opposite direction, causing fatalities. Seven people died in the accidents, which occurred on June 24 (two deaths), July 20 (three deaths), and July 26 (two deaths). Every month, at least two to three such accidents take place on this stretch, especially involving Bengaluru bound vehicles.

Former Additional Commissioner of Police (Traffic), Bengaluru, M A Saleem too agrees with the Ramanagaram police, given that there are several deceptive curves on the stretch. He, however, said that effective enforcement of traffic rules was the only solution to this problem. “There is a lot of reckless and negligent driving on the road. Overspeeding on these curvy stretches is very dangerous. Drunk driving is also rampant on the highway, which needs to be checked.  Increasing the height of the median will not really serve the purpose,” he added.

Chief Engineer for National Highways, PWD, Lakshman Rao Peshwe said a proposal to increase the height of the median would be sent to NHAI in the next 15 days. He said median height would be increased wherever there are frequent accidents, sharp bends and human habitation. “This is a really difficult problem to address. The one option we have come up with is to increase the height by erecting steel barricades on the median,” he added.

Peshwe said rectifying deficient curves on the road was not on the cards. “It would be infructuous to rectify these curves at this juncture, as the 10 laning project will be taking off by December,” he added.