ORR among Hyderabad's biggest killer stretches

HYDERABAD: With over 140 fatalities and 300 accidents being recorded in a span of three years, the Outer Ring Road (ORR) is fast becoming one of Hyderabad's `killer stretches'.The death of three software engineers, after their car was hit by a DCM van, is only the latest in a long string of such gruesome fatal accidents that have occurred on the eight-lane expressway that runs between Gachibowli and Shamshabad.The numerous road safety awareness campaigns and enforcement drives notwithstanding, the total number of accidents on the ORR has seen a year-onyear rise since 2014.The focus should now be on strengthe ning enforcement, according to road safety experts. While in 2014, five patrolling vehicles were pressed into service at the ORR, as part of the ORR patrolling scheme, less than three are operating on the expressway , said traffic officials.
“It is not enough to set speed limits. The traffic police must also ensure that these limits are strictly adhered to. The ORR has become one of the bloodiest stretches in Hyderabad, with overspeeding being the cause of most fatalities. The Cyberabad and Rachakonda traffic police must procure and install speed laser guns along the entire stretch in addition to adding more patrolling vehicles to the existing fleet,“ said Vinod K Kanumala, CEO of the Indian Federation of Road Sa fety (IFROS).
That the speed limit is not uniform across all eight lanes causes a lot of confusion, say commuters. While speed limit on lane 1 and lane 2 of the ORR has been fixed at 120 kmphour, on lane 3 and lane 4, the speed limit has been set at 80 kmph.
“The traffic cops must put up proper sign boards announcing the differing speed limits in addition to ensuring that there are proper lane markings. Although the ORR is spread over four lanes, lane discipline is rarely observed by drivers. Sudden swerving of the vehicle to join another lane or driving on the wrong side is a common practise on the ORR,“ said Manish Reddy , a commuter and resident of Gachibowli.