Tambaram’s approach to speed breaker management: mark some, remove some

The exercise to improve safety around speed breakers by marking them has a secondary aspect to it. The civic body is going to remove some speed breakers that have been “weighed in the scales” and found wanting. From residents’ point of view, care should be taken to ensure a helpful speed breaker is not dismantled by mistake

A freshly marked speed breaker on Bharathamatha Street near Jaigopal Garodia School in East Tambaram, on March 14, 2024 | Photo Credit: PRINCE FREDERICK

In front of Jaigopal Garodia school, on Bharatha Matha Street in East Tambaram, two speed breakers appearing with quick succession are elaborately marked with broad white stripes. Further down the road, there is more evidence of an exercise to treat speed breakers to fresh dabs of paint. (On the day of The Hindu Downtown’s visit (March 14), some speed breakers on the road were not marked. One assumed and hoped they would be, eventually, as the exercise was yet to run its course). Evidence of the exercise continues into the neighbouring Erikkarai Street. It also shows up on speed breakers at junctions where interior streets rush to meet main roads.

A speed breaker being removed at Thirumaazhisai Street in Ananda Nagar, East Tambaram. | Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

These are speed breakers whose place in the safety ecosystem have been cemented. The dust is yet to settle on the exercise and when it does, more speed breakers would have joined this “team”. There is a parallel script to the exercise: according to its dictates, certain speed breakers should not exist. And when the dust settles on the exercise, they would be wiped off the face of the earth.

It is indeed official. According to a Tambaram Municipal Corporation official, the value of persisting with some speed breakers would be reviewed.

The “unnecessary ones” would be removed. In fact, that parallel track is already busy with JCB machines trundling through roads, mostly interior roads, razing down those speed breakers that have been weighed in the scales and found wanting. From Kulasekaran Street in Sundaram Colony and Thirumazhisai Street in Ananda Nagar, there are images of machines going after such speed breakers.

A speed breaker being removed in Kulasekaran Street in Sundaram Colony, East Tambaram. | Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

According to the Tambaram Municipal Corporation official, speed breakers in school zone and hospital zone, around places of worship, roads with fast-moving traffic, junctions and main roads would automatically make it to the elite list (not in any particular order), and therefore given safety markings and nurtured.

This pattern is being followed across the zones of Tambaram Municipal Corporation.

On the face of it, removing some speed breakers, those deemed unhelpful, seems too pat a solution to invite immediate and generous approval. There is the lingering question: will a baby be thrown along with the bath water? It is possible, and given this possibility, residents should be welcome to question a decision to remove a speed breaker.

After all, residents have a ringside view of the performance of every speed breaker in their neighbourhood. And therefore, they should be allowed to have say in the matter, whenever they want to.