Bengaluru-Mysuru Expressway: 60 AI Cameras Installed To Curb Overspeeding, Accidents

Sixty cameras have been installed on the Bengaluru-Mysuru Expressway to detect vehicles that are overspeeding, leading to accidents. These cameras, including 48 ANPR (Automatic Number Plate Recognition) cameras installed by the Karnataka Police's traffic and safety wing, will automatically generate traffic challans for vehicles exceeding the speed limits. The National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) has also installed video cameras at three other locations along the expressway.

Alok Kumar, the additional director general of police (traffic, road safety, and training), explained that the cameras will calculate the time taken for a vehicle to travel between two points on the expressway. If the time is lower than the permissible limit, indicating high speed, a challan will be issued automatically. The maximum speed limit on the expressway is set at 100 kmph, and drivers are now required to maintain a permissible average speed.

The Bengaluru-Mysuru Expressway, South India's first expressway, has been in the news for an increase in accidents and traffic violations, including instances of state-run KSRTC buses traveling in the wrong direction. Due to these issues, an expert committee from the NHAI was sent to review the safety features of the road last July, following multiple accidents since its launch.

Inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in March the previous year, the 119-km expressway was constructed at a cost of Rs. 8,408 crore. It includes 52 km of greenfield with five bypasses to reduce traffic congestion, 11 overpasses, 64 underpasses, five bypasses, and 42 small bridges. The expressway also features six lanes with additional two-lane service roads on both sides.