Lane (ing) the highway-how safe, how fast

I have been traveling, though occasionally, on the Bangalore-Mysore highway for almost 5 years. It was around 2000 AD that I went to Maddur and traveled through the highway. More recently, I traveled 4-5 days back, when I went to Mysore. The highway has changed and changed considerably.

Maddur lies around 80 kms from Bangalore on the Bangalore-Mysore highway. It is a quite place with a temple of Lord Shiva or Iswara. Surrounded by a river and beautiful valley, it is an ideal place to start your journey of exploring the South India. It is believed that the lingam is 800 years old and has great divine power. So it was Maddur that gave me the taste of , which was chaotic and filled with diversions. The average traffic speed did not cross beyond 50 kmh.

Now the highway has four lanes with huge divider separating the two way traffic. My father drove at an average speed of 85-90 kmh. It was great fun. However, while enjoying the thrills of great speed, I stated to think of the importance of fast highways in the development of a country. Yes, the fast highway reduces the amount of time spent on traveling, thus reducing the cost spent on fuel and thereby helping the economy of a country.

Fast highways may reduce your traveling time, but it can also be more dangerous than a chaotic highway. Fast highways have to be induced as a culture of the country. The new four-lane Bangalore-Mysore highway may have reduced the time of travel, but has also created several other economic and safety problems. The highway passes through several villages and small towns. Each of them has small lanes that connect them to the highway. These innumerable invasions can be of great danger.

For example, when we were coming back from Mysore, three men were crossing the highway along with their motorcycle without being worried about the approaching super fast vehicles. In India, driving at a speed of above 100 kmh is super fast. They were immune from any kind on danger to them or to the vehicle that may hit them. The scratching sounds of several vehicles also did not have any affect on them. They simply moved on. However, by the grace of god, any causality was averted. Why did they do so?

The answer is not so easy. Highways in India are the product of political manipulations rather than economic considerations. They are used and treated politically, either by the politicians or by the general public. We have to move a step ahead. The common men have to be made aware of the importance of fast highways and have to be made a part of them. They have to be aware of the importance of such highways in their own life. It is difficult for a common man to understand the trickle effect of the economics. They have to be made the part of the highways. After all, highways are made by the people, for the people and of the people.

Cheers
Kundan