[efgritesh]

This has become our daily routine now, to see vehicles skidding every day right in front of our eyes. we stay on 9th floor in a rented apartment. In front of our society exit gate is the infamous speed breaker. The said road is in good shape and relatively congestion free hence tempting people to overspeed most of the times. For those who are new to area often are caught by surprise when they approach the breakers.

In my opinion, considering the society exit gate location and also the cut in the maiden speed breakers are very much needed at that spot. They are well marked and mostly designed as per safety specifications, unlike what we usually see otherwise.

Main challenge in my opinion is that during the rains there is less traction on the road, due to the nature of rains in Pune and also that fact that most of the nearby roads are dug up, pavements are not properly done leading to mud and soil on roads, again a deadly mixture for catastrophe

It’s a pain to see people falling down and getting injured every day. I am willing to put some time/money if that’s what’s it takes to improve the safety for everyone in general. I believe putting some warning signs/posters nearby might help, but not fully sure about it.

Asking for suggestions what can be done here

[GTO]

- Are the speed breakers marked? If yes, it is the white paint that is very slippery. Best to avoid that part on your two-wheeler.

- What is the tyre condition of the scooter / bike you saw falling?

[saket77]

Originally Posted by GTO

- Are the speed breakers marked? If yes, it is the white paint that is very slippery. Best to avoid that part on your two-wheeler.

- What is the tyre condition of the scooter / bike you saw falling?

Concur with GTO. That white markers, also known as Thermoplastic road marking paint are slippery compared to the regular tarmac. More so when wet.
Best to avoid that area anyway. Plus a scooty like Activa and the likes are highly unstable and have poor handling and braking capabilities compared to motorcycles- so best driven sedately. Any rider should know his/her capabilities and also the capabilities of the vehicles they are riding/ driving. There is not much you can do when someone is hell bent on testing it to extreme. In my opinion, it is far better to know the shortcomings of a vehicle than knowing its plus points.

Regards,
Saket

[efgritesh]

Originally Posted by GTO

- Are the speed breakers marked? If yes, it is the white paint that is very slippery. Best to avoid that part on your two-wheeler.

- What is the tyre condition of the scooter / bike you saw falling?

I am not sure of tyre condition of the vehicles falling but its painful to see some or the other person falling almost every day. I suspect the major reason of people falling is breaking before breaker to slow down, sometime doing it voluntarily or some time because the vehicle in front has applied break.

I think people who live nearby are mostly alert and aware of the situation and don’t fall in trap, but mostly unsuspecting strangers who are new to area become victims often. Today morning alone two scooters and an Auto rickshaw fell on the same spot.

I would like to know from fellow forum members how I can help to improve the situation. One idea that came to my mind was putting some sign boards indicating eminent danger , but not sure how effective will it be considering the area is already plagued with so many banner/posters.

[lejhoom]

Remove speed breakers and install rumble-strips. They are good at arresting speed and also reducing the number of accidents.

[Cyborg]

Originally Posted by efgritesh

It’s a pain to see people falling down and getting injured every day. I am willing to put some time/money if that’s what’s it takes to improve the safety for everyone in general. I believe putting some warning signs/posters nearby might help, but not fully sure about it.

It would be very helpful/easier for us to offer suggestions if you could attach some pictures of this spot/place you are referring to. You could hide any name etc for reasons of privacy if you wish.

Cheers

[raptor_diwan]

Please share a few pictures of the spots from different angles that would give us a correct idea. Was there a signboard at least 30 meters before the speed breaker?

If not, it would be advisable to invest in signboards that say "GO SLOW," "ACCIDENT ZONE," and "SPEED BREAKER AHEAD."

[condor]

Do these skid when breaking or when on the speed-breaker (sudden braking when they hit the bump)

What kind of a speed breaker is this ? Is the road concretised/tar ? Are the speed-breakers made of the plastic-type material / same material as the road surface itself ?

Concrete/ tarred surface would not slip so much.

Is there a proper marker board saying that there is a speed breaker - may be two (one up the road, and one just before the speed breaker ?

[efgritesh]

Here is a pic as we see it from our balcony.




I was also thinking of the lines of putting warning message on maiden, not sure if there is any problem in putting them up on the street light polls on maiden.

[shancz]

Having longitudinal lines on the speed breaker will help make it stand out more instead of the lateral lines before/on it. These lines force everyone to lean or/and brake while on those lines and skid.

Whoever painted those lines is an amateur to put it mildly. One of the breaker has 3 lines before it and the other one has 3 on it both using the thermoplastic paint being talked above

Some suggestions:
- Paint longitudinal lines as is the norm and covering the entire length of the speed breaker so the "bump" is easily perceptible.
- Use a different/normal paint for it rather than the slippery thermoplastic.
- If the above isn't possible then just paint a speed breaker sign on the road 5-10m before it.
I doubt people will pay attention to any signage.

Lastly, kudos for your thought and willingness to act

[Cyborg]

Originally Posted by efgritesh

Here is a pic as we see it from our balcony.

The best that you can do is put prominent boards on the median on both sides “Danger: Speed breaker ahead”. Have vertical lines painted on the speed breakers themselves as the horizontal ones may not be that visible to an approaching vehicle.

Besides of the above there is nothing more you could do, you have done your bit if you would like to do the above. Beyond that, it’s the responsibility of the rider/driver to be aware of road conditions and be careful.

Cheers

[govigov]

Take up the issue with your division councilor. He/She may have the resource to track down the correct person and install ample warning signs. They are usually receptive of feedback as well. Take lots of pictures of fallen scooters and autos as proof to them.

[Comrade]

I think having horizontal strips is the main culprit! If I was on this road, I would assume they are just rumble strips from afar and continue at decent speed (40-50 kmph). Only to realize at the last minute that there is a hump, and then brake suddenly and skid!

Who maintains this road? Complain to the civic body to put rumble strips and a warning sign about 50 feet (braking distance) before the hump, and paint the hump in vertical lines using appropriate colors for pune (like its white or yellow usually for Hyderabad).

[dust-n-bones]

I would humbly suggest that DIYs are best suited for personal projects.

Road signages and paint need consistency and standardization so that they are easily identifiable for road users. This is specially true for people new to your neighbourhood, who you so rightly want to help.

The right answer I think is your apartment association needs to engage the local police and ward councillor to rectify the accident trap they've created. There should already be such engagement, given the myriad issues societies face these days. Do check with office bearers.

By the way, to me, no speed breaker should be required if we learn to give priority to through traffic:
a) people from your society entering the road should make a complete stop to check and yield to through traffic and b) people crossing into your society should also yield to cross traffic before crossing.

Easier said than done though. The concept of 'yielding' is alien to us generally.

[Iyencar]

The simplest, cheapest and fastest fix is to sprinkle sand on it too roughen the area. That’ll increase traction. Good of you to think of others OP👍