Last Sunday, a 70-year old man has lost his life when the Maharashtra state road transport corporation (MSRTC) bus he was travelling in passed over a newly constructed and unmarked speed breaker at Gondhalenagar in Hadapsar causing his head to hit the roof of the bus. The Hadapsar police later arrested the bus driver for negligent driving. Officials of the state transport corporation, who visited the spot had pointed out that the speed breaker was not constructed properly.
The accident has brought to the fore the need for proper construction of the speed breakers with road safety features. Citizens groups have demanded that all speed breakers should be properly painted and that there should be warning signs ahead of each speed breaker.
Prashant Inamdar of Pedestrians First, a citizens group working on traffic and road safety issues has sent a memorandum to the police commissioner and municipal commissioner stating that there have been many accidents in the past in which people have lost their lives due to faulty construction of speed breakers. Inamdar demanded that PMC should take prior permission of the traffic police before their construction. The traffic police are expected to carry out a survey of the location and then take a decision. Speed breakers should have a safe design and should be constructed without any defects, he said. Caution boards with retro reflective steps for night visibility should be put up 40 meters before the location of the speed breaker, he added.
