Hyderabad: The Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA), in coordination with the traffic police, will teach basic arithmetic — speed = distance ÷ time — to commuters travelling on the Outer Ring Road (ORR).
Several motorists have been noticed driving over the 100 kmph speed limit at locations where there are no speed guns. The HMDA along with the traffic police, in their bid to regulate the average speed at the overall 158 km stretch, have decided not only to install more speed guns to catch speeding motorists but also to monitor the average speed maintained from one point to the next point.
The authorities are chalking out plans to deduct the penalty amount directly from the FASTags.
As per the annual reports submitted by Cyberabad and Rachakonda police commissionerates, with 60 persons having lost their lives, the ORR saw a 35 per cent spike in fatal road mishaps in 2021 when compared to 2020. In Cyberabad alone, 39 persons had died in 33 accidents while in Rachakonda limits, 19 persons were killed in 41 accidents.
Police personnel identified that only a few motorists were following the maximum speed limit only at 10 designated locations where speed guns were installed. They were driving at high speeds in the stretches where there were no speed guns.
In this backdrop, the traffic police decided to seek the help of HMDA, where the toll management system (TMS) is already in place. The TMS has helped HMDA monitor the vehicles and classify them with the computer operated sensors installed at every inter-change. The system has helped the municipal authority enhance accountability and ensure transparency pertaining to toll collection. And now the authorities are to add an extra feature to TMS to monitor the average speed maintained by vehicles at every entry and exit points (inter-changes) by using basic math formula.
There are 19 inter-changes on the ORR, a main traffic control centre (TCC) at Nanakramguda inter-change and sub-TCC at Ghatkesar inter-change. The authorities will collaborate TCC with TMC and penalise over-speeding drivers with concrete evidence including photographs and CCTV cameras present at the inter-changes. If the motorists cross the maximum speed limit, the penal amount of Rs 1,000 will be deducted from fastags. If the vehicle owner does not maintain sufficient amount in fastag, the individual has to pay double the penal amount in cash.
A senior official told Deccan Chronicle that this is in the conceptualisation stage and authorities have been discussing its practical implementation. He said they have been preparing a foolproof mechanism, where evidence of traffic violation could be shown to the vehicle owner. The official said this mechanism is scientifically possible but they should check its practical implementation. He said that if everything goes according to plan, a check on over-speeding will be implemented very soon.
