In the month of September, 2018 all the Speed Breakers from Sambra Airport to GIT college at Udyambag were removed for the visit of the President of India.
The PWD then on priority had removed almost all the Speed breakers in the city, but at some places, the need of the speed breakers is a must.
Speed breakers are used to slow down traffic near schools, hospitals so that children can cross the road more easily or senior citizens can cross at ease. They are also placed at entry points of bridges or narrow roads, to ensure that motorists reduce their speed.
While speed breakers can help in slowing down traffic and reducing high speed crashes, an unplanned or illegal speed breaker can be as much (if not more) dangerous than the high speed crashes it is trying to prevent. It is very common across India to see speed breakers being laid haphazardly.
As per the law, Speed Breakers must be used only in urban areas for minor roads and residential areas. Speed Breakers are NOT recommended on high-speed roads or highways outside urban limits.
There are many locations at which speed breakers should be installed so that speeding can be avoided which will also help in the smooth flow of traffic.
As per the Indian Road Congress guidelines, dated 12 June 1987, speed breakers must be placed on minor roads, only as follows:
Use of speed breakers is justified only in the following 3 circumstances:
1. T-intersections of minor roads with rural trunk highways, characterized by relatively low trac volumes on the minor road but very high average operating speed
and poor sight distances. Such locations have a high record of fatal accidents and as such a speed breaker on the minor road is recommended;
2. Intersections of minor roads with major roads, and mid-block sections in urban areas where it is desirable to bring down the speeds; and
3. Selected local streets in residential areas, schools, colleges or university campuses, hospitals, etc. Also in areas where traffic is observed to travel faster than the
regulated or safe speed in the area.
Other place where these may be used include:
1. Any situation where there is a consistent record of accidents primarily attributed to the speed of the vehicles e.g. when hazardous sections follow a long tangent
approach;
2. Approaches to temporary diversions;
3. Approaches to weak or narrow bridges and culverts requiring speed restriction for safety;
4. On the minor arms of uncontrolled junctions and at railway level crossings;
5. Sharp curves with poor sight distances; and
6. Places of ribbon development, where road passes through builtup areas and vehicles travelling at high speeds are a source of imminent danger to pedestrians.
What are the specifications for ideal speed breakers?
The Indian Roads Congress has suggested that speed breakers are formed basically by providing a rounded (of 17 metre radius) hump of 3.7 metre width and 0.10
metre height for the preferred Advisory crossing speed of 25 km/h for general traffic. It is mentioned that more humps be constructed at regular intervals depending
on desired speed and acceleration/deceleration characteristics of vehicles and that the distance between one hump to another can vary from 100 to 120 metres
centre to centre.
Good article