Speed breakers, constructed without following guidelines and measurement standards, have mushroomed all over the city and have become life-threatening hazards for the commuters.
Public Works Department (PWD) have constructed dozens of speed breakers in the city but neither have zebra stripes on them nor are they of appropriate height.
Most of these speed breakers are built so tall that it hits the engine and the base of two-wheelers causing them to lose their balance and meet with an accident. Though the speed breakers are constructed to minimise number of accidents, bumpers constructed in the city are causing more of them.
“Speed breakers are constructed to keep a check on speeding vehicles, especially the young crowd. But if somewhere any speed breaker is causing inconvenience to the road users, quick action will be taken to solve the problem,” said PWD executive engineer Sanjay Suryavanshi.
These speed breakers sometime become difficult to spot as they are not painted in zebra stripes. The commuters spot them only after they have come very close to them and thus chances of mishap rise tremendously.
Poorly-constructed speed breakers constructed at Bastar High School Chowk, in front of Maharani Hospital, Maharani laxmibai Girls School and several other squares in the city have become a threat for the commuters. Several accidents have been caused because of these speed breakers. And the ones who are lucky to escape suffer from highly uncomfortable jerks. “Speed breakers constructed without proper guidelines are very harmful for the back and neck of a person. Sometimes, they also cause painful swellings around knees, back and neck or even dislocation of joints,” said Dr Sanjay Prasad of Maharani Hospital.
According to the guidelines, the speed breakers must be only 15 cm tall, painted with bright colours and a sign should announce the breaker from some distance so that the driver is alert. According to Indian Road Congress standards, the central height of a road hump must not exceed 10 centimetres, the shape must be parabolic and the width must be at least 3.5 metres.