Unscientific humps block the way

Among the perennial problems on City’s roads, it’s hard to miss the shapeless speed breakers.

Despite the BBMP being on a drive to do away with speed humps that are not scientific according to the norms specified, there still exist many of them. And these have been creating much inconvenience to Bangaloreans.

“The speed humps were a nightmare, especially when my wife was pregnant, and when we had to travel on these road many times. Some of these speed breakers are shocking since these are in unpredictable shapes. It often makes me wonder if we really need so many of them,“ says Anup Bhat, process lead of a firm.

   “Poorly planned and unscientific humps can be clearly seen near Silk Board and there are too many of them near Yeshwantpur and Mathikere, where I used to live earlier,” he adds.

A senior staff engineer, Ashwin Murugesh, recalls the accident he met with because of a speed hump. He says, “I have a slip disc, thanks to a faulty speed breaker near Christ College. I was on a two-wheeler when the mishap occurred.”

He explains, “There was a speed breaker which had sprung up overnight, and I lost my balance and fell, which resulted in a slip disc. Thankfully, this was early in the morning, and things didn’t end gravely. But matters can be much more serious at night when a driver can’t see clearly.”

   Ashwin strongly believes that when a speed breaker is planned, the signs to alert the drivers, the reflectors around them and the stripes on the speed humps should all come together, unlike in different phases, which is how it happens usually.

Sreeja S, a manager, says, “I often wonder who puts these speed breakers in the first place. Most of these humps are just a depression, which takes a toll on the spine and makes one lose the balance. Also, when you slow down at a speed breaker, and a vehicle is just behind you, there are high chances of an accident.

One of my friends lost a relative to such an accident a few years back.”
She adds,“Other factors like signs and stripes on speed breakers are just non-existant, which makes it even more hard to prepare for a speed breaker ahead.”
Ask the BBMP officials about the same, and they say they are aware of the several unscientific speed humps in the City.

   Somashekar S, chief engineer of road infrastructure, elaborates, “In Bangalore, about 1,500 speed breakers are according to the Indian Road Congress’ (IRC) standards. There are many other speed breakers in residential areas and other areas, which don’t meet the norms.”

“According to IRC 99/1998 standards, a speed hump should be of width 3.70 m and 10 cm, with proper painting,” he adds.

   He concludes, “We’ve removed at least 1,000 humps in the past year, which were not required and were illegal, and we’re on the task still.”