LUCKNOW A day after the first fatal accident on the newly opened Lucknow-Kanpur Expressway, a joint inspection by the Lucknow Traffic Police and the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) revealed an unexpected safety hazard: motorists entering the access-controlled highway without realising they would have to pay toll make illegal U-turns or drive against the traffic in an attempt to avoid it.
The review, conducted at the Banthra stretch where the accident occurred, found that many local motorists inadvertently enter the expressway from connecting roads without adequate advance information about toll charges, the ban on two and three-wheelers or the availability of alternative routes.
According to officials, some drivers realise only after travelling nearly 6 km that the next toll plaza requires a payment of around ₹115, depending on the vehicle category. “Instead of continuing to the authorised exit, some attempt to reverse, take unauthorised U-turns or drive on the wrong side to avoid paying the toll, creating a serious risk of head-on collisions,” said traffic department officials in a statement.
The inspection also found repeated instances of two-wheelers and three-wheelers entering the expressway despite a complete ban on such vehicles.
To address the problem, police and NHAI have agreed on a series of engineering and enforcement measures. “Large signboards will be installed before every entry point, clearly informing motorists about vehicle restrictions, the distance to the toll plaza, applicable toll charges, the nearest authorised exit and toll-free alternative routes,” said DCP (traffic) Raveena Tyagi.
NHAI will also strengthen access control through barricading, lane channelisation and deployment of operational staff at vulnerable entry points. Additional ‘No Entry’, ‘No U-turn’ and ‘Wrong Side’ signs, along with reflectors and blinkers, will be installed where drivers are prone to making dangerous manoeuvres.
Officials said the concessionaire’s route patrol vehicles would conduct continuous surveillance on the expressway and immediately alert the traffic police and local police if they detect wrong-side driving, prohibited vehicles, stranded vehicles or accidents. A dedicated assistance vehicle will also be stationed at key entry points to prevent two and three-wheelers from entering the expressway.
The NHAI’s CCTV control room will now share real-time alerts, including vehicle registration numbers, location and direction of travel, with police teams to enable quicker intervention. As an interim measure, a traffic police personnel has been posted at the control room to improve coordination.
On Wednesday evening, two young men on a motorcycle – Himanshu Singh, 25, of Arjunamau in Unnao’s Sohramau area and Shailendra Singh, 24, of Sandila in Hardoi – allegedly entered the expressway through the Darogakhera–Junabganj access point while returning home from Lucknow despite a complete ban on two and three-wheelers.
Around 6pm, near the 20.5-km mark in the Banthra area, their motorcycle was hit by a speeding vehicle reportedly travelling on the wrong side.
Banthra police and NHAI personnel rushed the injured men to the Sarojini Nagar community health centre, where Himanshu was declared dead. Shailendra was referred to the KGMU Trauma Centre but succumbed to his injuries later. Police said neither rider was wearing a helmet.
Following the accident, NHAI and police have stepped up enforcement. Police patrol vehicles were deployed on Thursday to prevent two and three-wheelers from entering the expressway, project director Nakul Varma said.
Varma said the expressway currently has no physical barriers at its entry points, as it was designed for seamless movement of authorised vehicles, with access control primarily at the exit. “People are perhaps not yet accustomed to the restrictions on access-controlled expressways. We have been widely publicising that two-wheelers and three-wheelers are not allowed, but despite that, some riders continue to enter the corridor, putting their lives at risk,” he said.
He added that if violations continue, NHAI will consider installing physical barriers at entry points to prevent unauthorised vehicles from accessing the expressway.
Meanwhile, Banthra police registered a case against the unidentified driver involved in the hit-and-run and launched an investigation to trace the vehicle.
