Don’t Get ‘Bump’ on a ‘Hump’? Newly Laid Unmarked Humps are a Bane to Motorists
Mangaluru: Early morning today (Wednesday, 13 March) at around 4 am, on my way to Mangaluru Junction Railway Station to pick up my friend at the station, I almost lost control over my two-wheeler while passing on a newly constructed unmarked speed hump, right down the road from Bendore-well junction towards Kankanady Pumpwell-but luckily I didn’t tumble off my scooter with injuries, nor any damages to the vehicle. But chances are that this unmarked hump could cause injuries or fatality, depending on how fast a vehicle was moving, especially two-wheeler riders. Few days ago, the City and Traffic authorities had installed quite a few Speed Breakers/Speed Humps at various spots in the City. But the bad part is while some of them are marked with white stripes, many have been left unmarked. And that’s common, with our City or any government authority which undertakes a new project, they don’t do it right the first time. They wait for a casualty and then rectify their bad work?
During the last week Friday, police commissioner’s phone-in programme there were complaints from the citizens about the unmarked road humps, builders dumping building materials on the footpath, trucks hauling sand/mud without covering the top with tarpaulin, etc- but even though its nearly a week after the phone-in programme many of these civic issues are not rectified yet, including the painting of speed humps. Even you can see trucks plying with sand/mud with no cover, and also you can see debris on footpaths near construction sites. So what’s the impact of a phone-in programme?
But even though the present humps are much better than the unscientific plastic/fibre black and yellow speed breakers, which are hazardous, but the concerned authorities have not taken the initiative of painting white stripes on them. Many motorists not knowing of these new road humps have been facing hurdles- some even losing balance. The humps should have been painted as soon as they were constructed- why wait for days and weeks to paint them with stripes? Guess, that’s our district administration way of doing the job their way, I guess?
Seems like the newly constructed Humps are a bane for motorists in the City. The construction of humps is not only illegal but purely unscientific. The MCC and the traffic police, who are caught in the blame game, are completely oblivious to the plight of motorists. When questioned about the presence of unauthorized road humps, the officials say that they were erected in response to public demand. Riding a two-wheeler on these streets with humps is a traumatic experience. In addition to negotiating with traffic, the number of humps, its height and the short distance between them accentuates the problem. Some of these humps are constructed in such a way that motorists experience severe pressure on their backs. Motorists losing balance, sustaining injuries is a common feature due to these humps.
Although the motorists, if they are alert, they may see the humps during daylight, but at night it is a safety hazard. What the officials waiting for? Are they waiting for motorists to fall of their two-wheelers and get injured. An answer yet to be solved. How often have you been caught unawares by that huge bump on the road without a signboard warning before it? Very often. As per sources, the Indian Road Congress( IRC) standards do not recommend speed breakers at all. If everyone travels within the speed limits, there’s no need for speed breakers. As per IRC standards, only narrow roads can have scientifically built parabolic humps and not main, wide roads. Then why do we have so many speed humps in the city? Then why aren’t our city officials not following the rules? And if they are constructing these speed breakers/road humps/speed bumps, then why aren’t they erecting caution signs about these speed controllers?
I think speed bumps should really be called slow bumps. You need to drive slowly over these or else you’ll bottom out your vehicle and cause damage to your vehicle. I’ve witnessed drivers not slowing down and all and they end up bouncing almost out of control until the driver realizes they need to stop to regain control once again. Minor accidents like motorists falling off their two-wheelers often take place in the city on these unmarked speed humps, but since no one reports of these accidents due to speed humps to MCC or the traffic police, the accidents still continue. Two-wheelers and three-wheelers frequently lose balance due to these speed breakers. Commuting has become very dangerous at night due to this, and especially for out-of-town motorists these speed breakers are very dangerous without any warning signs.
The speed breakers should be parabolic for smooth road crossing and should be painted and properly illuminated. Rows of solar energy-based cat eyes should be laid before the humps. Sign boards should be erected to warn the drivers/riders- well ahead of a speed hump. Speed bumps are usually painted with black and white stripes to draw a driver’s attention before he reaches the bump. Without these indicators, drivers would hit the speed bump at higher speeds, resulting in a jolt to passengers and potential damage to the vehicle. When vehicles pass over these humps, the spine is hurt, and speeding vehicles often meet with accidents if they fail to slow down at these humps.
A speed breaker is essentially constructed on a road where excessive speed is the cause of accidents. They are supposed to be at places where traffic policemen cannot man the roads to ensure that driving is within the stipulated speed. Also, they are supposed to be on roads where fast driving is not feasible. But if you look around the city, speed bumps can be found every where, and without any caution signs putting the motorists, especially two-wheeler riders life in jeopardy. The unscientifically built road humps across the city is something that Mangaloreans need to complain about, as they not only pose a threat to the spines of motorists, but also to vehicles also.
As per rules, the highways department or local body should put up a warning sign 40m ahead of the speed breaker. If the government follows the IRC norms, it will help reduce accidents in the city. Speed breakers should also be painted with the correct white marks, but that what is lacking here in the city. Does anyone care about it ?. Are our city and traffic authorities waiting for more causalities of motorists or what? It is time for the commuters/motorists to raise their voices against these unsafe “speed breakers” which are ” life breakers” to the concerned local civic authorities. Let us do it for a good cause and for the safety of our lives and for the lives of the citizens. Safety is much important than being sorry later. Let’s do it, before it’s too late – Thank You.
