Sir,

Karnataka has the dubious distinction of having the second highest number of accidents in the country due to unwisely or illegally used speed-breakers. This is not just hearsay but the findings in the ‘Road Accidents in India – 2014’ Report (which has a separate category for accidents due to speed-breakers on National Highways).

The authorities and those suggesting installation of speed-breakers on the bend of Mysuru-Hunsur Road near Kalamandira are under the false notion that this will cure the stretch of further accidents.

A simple solution to the problem here would be to fix a reasonable speed-limit for various categories of vehicles and have Police Interceptors placed on both sides of the road armed with speed-guns. Those who break the law should be fined. This is the easiest and most cost-effective method to stop this madness of speeding.

The fear of the Interceptor has worked wonders on Kukkarahalli Tank Road which was notorious for speedsters till an Interceptor was placed there for a long period of time.

It is second nature for most people today to abuse good infrastructure and disobey laws. Driving on the wrong side of the road, disobeying traffic signals, riding three or more on a two-wheeler, has become the order of the day.  The only way out is to enforce discipline with an iron hand. I don’t believe in counselling these law-breakers because they are doing it in full control of their faculties. If motorists need to be made aware of traffic rules and safety after they are certified to drive, there is something very wrong with the licencing authority.

Almost all will have experienced the fact that when you slow down to pass over a speed-breaker, motorists following you immediately try to overtake your vehicle. Approaching speed-traps is a huge danger because there is always someone behind you trying to beat you to it. The purpose of the speed-breaker or the speed-trap is to slow down, but impatience is our middle name and so everyone else has to wait!

So please do not suggest any more speed-breakers for Mysuru city, scientific or otherwise. We have more than we can deal with already — almost all unscientific and installed indiscriminately. A glaring example is the multiple speed-breakers on the ORR between GRS Fantasy Park and the Bengaluru-Mysuru Road just prior to the Railway Underpass.

As far as I know, multiple speed-breakers on main thoroughfares have been outlawed long ago. But these have been put up recently without any reference to the Road Congress Rules.

Speed-breakers are the cause of increased pollution, driver fatigue, health hazards and fuel consumption. They serve no purpose whatsoever, except cause hindrance to the smooth flow of traffic.  I hope the authorities and those involved in decision-making at this point will see sense and do the needful.

– Neil D’Costa, Hebbal Industrial Area, 26.11.2017

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