Driving at a speed of more than 40 kmph on Chennai roads at day time and at over 50 kmph after 10 pm in the night could now see you slapped with automatic fines.
This follows the installation of speed guns with Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras at more than 10 locations at a cost of Rs 54.33 lakh in the city.
The locations are Anna Arivayalam junction, Dr Gurusamy Bridge (near the airport), Pullah Avenue, Ration Shop Junction in Maduravoyal, Parry’s Corner junction, Injambakkam and Spencer Plaza.
Twenty more speed guns with ANPR cameras are set to be installed around the city soon, Chennai Police Commissioner Shankar Jiwal said at an event that marked the inauguration of Rs 7 crore worth of equipment to reduce vehicular traffic congestion at 300 junctions across the city.
Current norms specify that motorists must stay under 40 kmph from 7 am to 10 pm and under 50 kmph while driving from 10 pm to 7 am.
"Sometimes people indulge in stunts and accidents occur due to overspeeding. We could not effectively enforce the motor vehicle rules by only deploying our personnel. Now, we will track violators and send out an automatic challan. If one exceeds 40 km/hr in the daytime and 50 km/hr in the night hours, the device will automatically get a picture and issue a challan. We have collaborated with the National Informatic Centre. So, the challan will reach violators automatically," Commissioner Jiwal said.
Kapil C Saratkar, Additional Commissioner of traffic, clarified that the speed limit could vary from vehicle to vehicle. For instance, for autorickshaws it should not exceed 25 km/hr, he noted.
Activists called for extensive awareness campaigns on speed limits before the automatic fines were implemented.
(With inputs from Express News Service.)