Bengaluru-Mysuru Expressway: 60 High-Tech Cameras Installed To Detect Over Speeding

The Bengaluru-Mysuru Expressway has been in talks since its launch for multiple traffic violations, road accidents, and deaths.

Taking a step towards making this stretch safe for commuters, detecting “sectional over-speeding” of vehicles causing accidents, and reducing speeding violations, the authorities have installed a total of 60 cameras on the expressway. These cameras will detect vehicles moving at speeds more than the permitted limits and automatically generate traffic challans.

The traffic and road safety wing of Karnataka police have installed 48 out of 60 radar-based Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras at six spots in each direction at a cost of Rs 3.5 crore. The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has also installed video cameras at three spots in each direction.

These radar-based Automatic Number Plate Recognition cameras also cover service roads to identify violations and automatically generate challans for vehicle owners. This system is currently undergoing testing, and challan issuance is scheduled to commence soon.

While speaking to the Deccan Herald, the Additional Director General Of Police (Traffic and Road Safety and Training), Alok Kumar, said that he has instructed the vendors to enable the camera systems to identify sectional overspeeding. “These cameras will calculate the time taken by a vehicle to travel between two camera poles on the expressway and if someone is going above the speed limit. The challan will be issued automatically,” he added.

The maximum speed limit on South India’s first Expressway is set at 100 kmph. If any vehicle is detected at the next camera pole, installed within 12 minutes, then the system flags that as a speed violation. The police have focused on fixing cameras at accident-prone areas, such as Gananguru, Ramanagara, Channapatna, and Maddur, while also ensuring adequate cameras are placed to cover the entire stretch.

“This will ensure that drivers do not slow down just before the cameras, as they will have to maintain a permissible average speed throughout the stretch,” he concluded.

In addition to that, these cameras are also capable of detecting seatbelt violations, lane violations, mobile phone usage, and the unauthorised access of non-motorised vehicles on the highway.

Meanwhile, the 119-km expressway was inaugurated by PM Narendra Modi in March last year. The Bengaluru-Mysuru Expressway was built for Rs 8,408 crore. This project includes 64 underpasses, 42 small bridges, 11 overpasses, and five bypasses. The highway also has six lanes with two-lane service roads on both sides.