Bhubaneswar: Risk for commuters and pedestrians on the service lane of NH-16 has increased after the speed reducers installed as part of a road safety tool were damaged near Utkal University and Rasulgarh Square in the city.The situation arose due to the absence of regular repair and maintenance of the rumblers or speed reducers on these two portions of the highway, which usually witness speeding and rampant wrong-side driving, especially during peak hours, sources said.“The rumblers on the service road in front of Utkal University are very necessary. Due to the design of the highway, wrong-side driving is rampant in this portion. There are high chances of accidents on the stretch,” Vani Vihar resident Bidyadhar Jena said.A similar situation exists at Rasulgarh Square, where people coming from the roundabout from Kalpana Square and approaching the Mancheswar side may get hit by vehicles coming from Satsang Vihar side.”There were rumblers near the Satsang Vihar side for vehicles to slow down before reaching Rasulgarh Square, but now they have vanished. This increases the chances of accidents. The junction is also unmanned, doubling the risk,” Bomikhal resident Krushna Puhan said.The service lane that passes from the front gate of Utkal University is important since the area is frequented by students. The rumblers were introduced at the location especially to ensure the safety of students.In May last year, the authorities first removed an already installed speed reducer on this portion of the highway, sparking a debate on road safety. TOI then highlighted the issue, after which the speed reducers were re-installed in Sept.”The national highway should not have any speed reducers, but the service lane can have them as per the rules. The authorities can identify the problematic portions and install the speed reducers whenever there is such a need,” urban planner Dipu Nanda said.Responding to the issue, city mayor Sulochana Das assured that they will bring the matter before the highways authority and take steps to reinstall speed reducers at these two places. “We will also discuss other critical issues concerning the highway,” said the mayor, adding that safety matters.