Krishne Gowda, a resident of T.M. Hosur Gate, about 30 km from Mysore, often takes more than half an hour to cross the Bangalore-Mysore State Highway to reach his fields across the road.
The incessant flow of vehicles, particularly cars passing by at speeds in excess of 100 kmph on the highway, has become a major concern for thousands of inhabitants of villages along the highway.
“We are forced to spend a long time along the edge of the highway to just cross the road. The moment the unending stream of vehicles abates, we sprint to the median and again wait for an opportune time to cross the other side of carriageway. We dart across the road with our heart in our mouth,” he said.
Referring to the numerous accidents on the highway, Nagaraju, another villager, justified the demand among the villagers for road humps near the villages. “We are concerned of our safety,” he said.
However, the presence of a large number of road humps on the highway, estimated to be nearly 100, is one of the common complaints of motorists. “How can we maintain a steady speed of 80 kmph if there are so many road humps?” asked Mahendra, who travels on the road regularly.
Road users have complained that many road humps are unscientific and laid in an unauthorised manner owing to pressure from the aggrieved locals.
Public Works Minister H.C. Mahadevappa recently told the Legislative Council that there were 88 road humps on the highway and admitted that many were “unnecessary” and had been laid unscientifically. He said that efforts will soon be made to remove the unscientifically laid road humps after convincing villagers.
