Bhubaneswar: The National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) has fixed the speed reducers on the service lanes of NH-16 near the main entrance of Utkal University in Bhubaneswar, providing a major relief for commuters as well as pedestrians.
The speed reducers, which had been put in the area earlier as a road safety measure, were damaged over time due to lack of regular repair and maintenance work.
As a result, commuters often found it hazardous while using the service lane near the Vani Vihar campus.
Apart from installing speed reducers, the NHAI is also planning to introduce traffic calming measures on the highway service lane near Rasulgarh Square.
Experts are of the view that road safety measures are necessary on the service lanes of NH-16 at these two critical points for various reasons. These two portions of the service lane are critical in terms of road safety due to frequent movement of pedestrians and motorists, wrong-side driving, speeding, and more, making these places prone to accidents, they said.
The design of the service lane near Utkal University and Rasulgarh Square is such that people are forced to drive on the wrong side. Traffic calming measures such as installation of speed reducers and reflectors are a must at these two sites, road safety expert Syed Maqbool Ali was quoted by TOI as saying.
