Mysuru: With a view to facilitate the people traveling between Bengaluru and Mysuru every day, the Central Government has constructed tenlane express way at a cost of Rs. 9000 Crore. But this highway is now a deadly accident zone. More than 55 people have died in accidents in just 5 months in Mandya District which has raised concern.
There are more than 55 kms of tenlane highway passing through Mandya District. At present, the Dashpath highway work has been completed and the motorists are traveling happily. But the accident that took place on Dashpatha highway in Mandya District and the number of people who died due to it is causing concern among the people. From January to the end of May, there were 570 accident cases wherein 55 people died and 52 people were seriously injured. Another 184 people have broken their limbs, while 279 people have suffered minor injuries in the accident, which has shocked the people.
Vehicular traffic started on the new highway from September 2022. Most of the accidents were reported in the months of December and January when the highway work reached its final stage. More than 110 accidents have occurred in the Ramanagara District Highway from Kumbalgodu to Nidaghatta in the last six months. More than 41 people have lost their lives and more than 100 people were injured. A total of 51 km of highway passes through Ramanagara District. The speed of vehicles on Bidadi, Ramanagara-Channapatna bypasses has increased to 120-140 kmph. Due to this, the traffic has also increased on the service roads from Lakshmipura Gate to Manipal Hospital in Mysuru District. 30 accidents have been reported on the highway since 6 months. As a result, 8 people have died.
More than 150 people have been seriously injured in the past two months. As the speed of vehicles and the rush of motorists to arrive early on the Bengaluru-Mysuru tenlane highway has increased, the number of accidents has started to increase.
The rush to reach Bengaluru-Mysuru within 80 minutes also has contributed to the accident. There are no signboards anywhere on the highway. There is no system to indicate speed limit. Due to this the number of accidents is increasing. Mandya and Mysuru District has many bridges, flyovers, under bridges and many turns. Also, vehicles slide where the bridge approach touches the road. Motorists say this is a major cause of accidents.
The main reason for increasing mishaps is only overspeed, as the highway is attracting thousands of people due to wide publicity in social media by netizens. Vehicle drivers have a craze to run fast thinking it is three lane and it reduces accidents. But they forget that even high ways have speed limits. They run cars at more than 100-120 kms and accidents occurs within seconds as drivers lose control of vehicles. Accidents are happening between vehicles due to speed exceeding the limit, due to which vehicle users are losing their lives. At present, there is a seven feet high fence between the expressway and the bypass road. Thus, there is a state of panic in emergency situations.
There is a lack of safety on bypass roads and medical services are also unavailable. It is suggested by the public that the number of accidents can be reduced if the accident zones are identified and warning boards are installed on the new highway.
A traveller Sharanaiah told that vehicles traveling faster than 120 kmph on the Yamuna Expressway must pay a fine at the next toll. This system should also be implemented on the Bengaluru – Mysuru expressway.