MVD raises speed limit of buses to 70 kmph after riders, drivers complain about pace

Thiruvananthapuram: The Motor Vehicles Department (MVD) has decided to increase the maximum speed limit of buses belonging to the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) and private carriages from 60 kmph to 70 kmph in the State. Changes will be made in the speed governors in accordance with this. This decision was taken at a meeting conducted under the chairmanship of Transport Minister Antony Raju.

There were also complaints from passengers that the speed of buses, including the new superfast services, was low. However, the speed limits at junctions and in front of schools will continue as in the past. There have been complaints from drivers earlier that the time schedule of services could not be maintained owing to the low speed of long-distance services of the KSRTC.

The Minister entrusted Transport Secretary Biju Prabhakar with the responsibility of issuing the order on the speed limits.

The meeting came to the conclusion that with the new artificial intelligence (AI) cameras becoming functional, over-speeding by other vehicles could be controlled. Directives will be issued to the Road Safety Authority to change the signage boards on speed limits on important roads, including National and State highways, and to gradually replace them with LED boards which could be hung from posts. In this system, details regarding the speed limits in each direction will be displayed on the board. At present, if the signage boards fall down or are destroyed, there is a delay in replacing them.

There is a facility in the AI cameras for imposing a fine for over-speeding by calculating the time taken by a vehicle for reaching one place from another. The meeting came to the conclusion that over-speeding could be checked through this method.