[TusharK]

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has installed spiked speed breakers on B G Kher Marg in Malabar Hill. It is the first time BMC has installed, the so-called "tyre killer" speed breaker in Mumbai.



The spiked speed breakers were installed after the BMC received complaints from locals about bikers entering from Kemps Corner junction and going the wrong way. While local residents have welcomed the decision, some have raised concerns over their safety, as a minor accident could cause serious injuries.

The spiked speed breakers allow traffic to flow safely in one direction. Vehicles coming the wrong way are exposed to metal spikes that can disable them by destroying their tyres.

Earlier, Amanora Township in Pune had installed similar speed breakers to deter wrong-side driving. However, the Pune Traffic Police ordered the society to remove them, citing safety concerns.

Source: Mid-day

Link to Team-BHP News

[steadfast]

I remember a similar thread somewhere few years back when a similar thing was done in Noida. I am in favour of implementing these steps to deter wrong side driving but there were people who were complaining about the grave danger they possess. Logic is simple you get hurt if you drive wrong side but the number of people complaining forced the Noida authority to remove these speed breakers and this was very unfortunate. Wrong voices heard and agreed to in Noida. Curious to see what happens in Mumbai

[Moto_MP]

This should be installed at each and every place possible in our country, where a Vehicle can cross over to wrong side. This may make few unhappy about early tire wear but will finally give some respite on evils of wrong side driving.

[antonylejos]

India needs these types of speed breakers for a few years. Once people learn to drive correctly, they can be removed.

Particularly on Sarapur Road in Bangalore, through which I commute to work, wrong-side driving is truly a menace and a significant stressor.

National highways needs these too.

[CzechItaliaMoto]

I have heard of this being implemented in Bangalore many years ago, my dad used to tell me that even though this did curb wrong side driving to a certain extent, people were so adamant on going the wrong way, so many of these guys resorted to riding on the footpath or carefully lifting their two wheelers above the spikes, and then going about their day.

I think the only way to stop these guys for sure is, cops. I have a feeling that these things will be removed soon enough, citing security reasons or ineffectiveness. If they approach this speed breaker from the wrong side at a high speed, the chances of them losing control of the vehicle will be very high, and that will just increase the number of accidents on said road, owing to the possibility that the guy who lost control, hits another vehicle coming right at him. Anything can happen, so it is impractical in its own ways. The same cannot be said about placing a bunch of cops at their entry points.

[MyLife_MyCar]

Originally Posted by antonylejos

Once people learn to drive correctly, they can be removed.

Agree, remove it once people learn to drive correctly. Even if that takes forever.

We daily see/hear about accidents due to wrong side driving. I think people who are against those one-way speed breakers are the same people who are habitual to driving on the wrong side of the road. Within the city also, I see even large vehicles like buses and vans driven on the wrong side on a busy road. They put themselves and many others in the danger.

At least with those speed breakers, only they will be in danger/loss.

People will definitely find some loophole or jugaad even for this. But that will be just handful of them. A large percentage should mostly resort to driving on the correct side of the road.

[click]

So instead of trying to enforce law by better policing, they want to install potentially dangerous breakers. Wrong side driving is a menace that mumbai police has unseen and encouraged for nearly 5 years and now it has become a problem for them too as their bosses who live in malabar hill are irritated.

Get the street camera's working (most aren't) and start fining wrong side driving 2000 for each instance. That is the only way to reverse this menace. Get the traffic police to actually stand at the junctions and not just wait in a kopcha to catch helmet-less bikers and transport vehicles.

These metal strips will get stolen or broken within a few months.

[Voodooblaster]

Not a very feasible solution considering the following scenarios:

1) Ambulances often take shortcuts through wrong side so that they can bypass non moving traffic especially in peak hours

2) Imagine some procession (religious / political ) is occupying one lane. Police often divert vehicles through the wrong lane

3) Imagine Water / Sewage work happening in one lane. Traffic will have to be routed through other side


Only feasible way is to have AI enabled smart cameras fining these violators left , right and centre. Govt earns revenue

Now coming to cases where people simply don’t cough up the fines. Block these vehicle owners to IT refunds and reduce CIBIL score (Like a delayed EMI/Credit Card Payment). Shouldn’t be too difficult to implement through Aadhar (RC is issued only on production of Aadhar; PAN and Aadhar is already linked)

[McLaren Rulez]

It only works for the first few days when people don't know about it. Once they do, they'll find a way to circumvent them and still drive on the wrong side.

Steep fines are a much better and cheaper solution.

[ComboCutter]

The babus sure do know their way around solving a problem. Instead of improving roads, road markings and barriers, providing pedestrian zones and sidewalks and setting proper reflective and uniform street signs, they resort to causing harm to property and people.

To all those wishing harm, will you still wish it if
1. A High speed vehicle hits it looses control and hits innocent bystanders?
2. The person driving the vehicle dies?
3. The contraption harms normal traffic too? (No one will vouch for it)
4. There are lane blocks due to a myriad of india-specific reasons?

Someone should file a PIL in the courts to nip this utter stupidity in the buds. Legally police can't even stop drivers for checks without barricades, I'm pretty sure the courts won't permit this contraption.

They already have 10000+ working cameras for surveillance and traffic. They should just use them and issue the challans indiscriminately.

[Benoit]

I am totally against this. I understand that this affects only the violators. But this feels like a very strict punishment with more danger than it needs to be.

So, it is okay for a guy to lose a limb if he drives in the wrong direction? And everyone is okay with it?

Of course there are accidents caused due to driving on the wrong way, but this has more probability of accident. Violator or not, the person is still a human, and putting him in risk is immoral.

[deep_bang]

Totally for it. In fact we need to have more of these.

[Axe77]

I am dead against wrong side driving but I’m really not sure how practicable a measure as hardwired and permanent as this is.

Imagine a situation where traffic is jammed for any reason, even right side driving vehicles can’t do even a marginal reverse on the same road.

The sad reality is people have to be beaten into road rule compliance so binary sub optimal measures like these are forced to be taken.

Those speaking of AI / cameras etc, the worst offenders are riding scooters either without plates or where plates can’t even be recognised and read because they’re in fancy design / local language. Such smart detectors work well for car owners who are relatively more compliant with sporting HSRP or similarly legal plates. Although even with older cars, I see far too many illegal plates.

[2cents]

Driving through a one way in the wrong direction.. is illegal, no two ways about it. But it doesn't give the traffic authorities a licence to cause intentional hurt as a way of implementing regulation. What next, will they train dogs to pounce on people driving in the wrong direction! Ends do not justify the means, simple. I can't believe there are people in this forum supporting this move.

Do not assume every motorist in the wrong direction in a one-way to be an intentional violator. Some could be simply new to the place. There are ample stories in this forum itself on one-ways without proper sign boards.

[harry10]

I am in favor of this move. Even though it will be short lived cos violators will protest and vote bank will make sure it's removed. When it comes to traffic violations wrong side drivers are the worst offenders. So many innocent lives are lost due to these people who intentionally puts themselves and others at risk. I have Zero sympathy for these people.

I understand why some people are against this move. Like it's mentioned before cameras and cops can't catch them cos they are in big numbers with unrecognizable number plates. The Carrot approach can't work with these people so the Stick approach is needed. Trust me when few of them will get deflated tyres, you will see all others complying with law automatically. This is how it works here. I wish something like this was done in my city.