If you thought constructing speed breakers all over your neighbourhood made it safer, you might be in for a rude shock. Improper and unplanned speed bumps can cause accidents and traffic jams, according to experts.
To control mushrooming of unauthorised speed breakers, the Delhi Traffic Police have planned inspections in residential areas.
For a purpose
“People don’t understand that speed breakers have a purpose, but only when constructed properly. Plastic speed breakers only create more problems. Many residents’ welfare associations have installed them make do speed bumps, which are supposed to be checked by the civic bodies,” a senior traffic official said.
The Traffic Police will identify speed bumps and give a report to the respective civic bodies advising immediate removal.
Unscientific construction of speed breakers across several colonies and neighbourhoods in the city has led to many traffic jams and accidents.
According to the Indian Road Congress, the apex body of highway engineers in the country, at least 40% of these speed bumps aren’t built as per specification.
Location and dimension
“The location and dimension of speed breakers serve a purposes. You can’t construct speed breakers randomly on colony roads without following basic rules. You need to paint them with reflective paint and install signs to warn drivers about speed breakers,” said S. Velmurugan, senior principal scientist at the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research-Central Road Research Institute.
He said lack of safety features result in vehicles loosing balance on speed breakers and hitting dividers.
Of the 33,868 km road network in the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, only 1,400 km comprise arterial and sub-arterial roads. These carry about 70% of the city’s traffic load.
Court orders
The Delhi High Court had last May directed removal of unauthorised speed breakers across the Capital within four weeks. The court had also directed the traffic police and civic bodies to ensure that speed breakers not conforming to the Indian Road Congress and the Unified Traffic and Transportation Infrastructure (Planning and Engineering) Centre (UTTIPEC) guidelines are not constructed.
Though the traffic department said around 89 unauthorised speed breakers were removed, the problem still persists. They agreed that not much has been done since to ensure new speed breakers do not come up.
