[MadinMumbai]

Driving down the much lauded Eastern Peripheral expressway in Delhi I came across signs setting the speed limit @120kmph. I couldn’t help but think- what are these guys smoking?

The road surface is bumpy beyond 80kmph, and when the car hits a joint I found it difficult keeping my lunch. At 120 kms I would imagine it being a roller coaster type ride. Anyone else feel that 120 kmph is an abstract figure, plucked out of the air to please some mantriji, and divorced for reality? I do hope other expressways are better designed else we are in for some serious traffic mess and mayhem.

[Shreyans_Jain]

Depends on your car. While the surface is not baby butt smooth, it is still very decent. Cars with good dynamics can easily cruise at 120 all day here. Of course, a host of vehicles, especially sub 15 lakh, are totally out of their depth at such speeds with their rear ends continuously bobbing up and down. List includes all Marutis except S Cross, Brezza and GV, all Hyundais apart from the current gen Verna, Venue and Creta, and all Hondas. We have started getting world class roads, but mass market cars with decent highway speed manners are still few and far between. Manufacturers have been guilty of short charging us here, exactly like with crash safety.

Secondly, maintenance also comes into play here. Bad suspensions, tire sidewall bulges, improper pressures, balancing issues etc will all catch you out.

120kmph is the default on all new world class roads being built. Personally, I feel the infra is good enough for 150kmph, but the cars are not there yet in terms of output. Already, lanes get choked by trucks not going faster than 60-70 and waves of wheezy 1.2NA engined Marutis, Hyundais and Tatas all going at about the same speed and struggling to overtake each other. It is literally the expressway version of 3 autos hogging 3 lanes, trying to sneak ahead. Delta in performance with the latest turbo petrols is too much. If we want American style roads, we also need that kind of power from the engines.

[MotoBlip]

I get what you're saying. I've driven between Delhi and Jaipur twice on the new expressway, and despite all the hype about it being a world-class road, I wasn't impressed. The trip back, especially the first 70 kilometers or so from Dausa to Delhi, was really bad, especially considering that it's a new highway. Even though there wasn't much traffic, the road was bumpy and there were already patches on the surface. On top of that, the toll charges are almost Rs2/km, so naturally, one expects better. Granted, the cars I used aren't top-of-the-line, but they feel perfectly fine on the Yamuna expressway, which is a decade old and I drive on at least once a month. Moreover, a colleague recently drove the same stretch in a Volkswagen Vento and had a similar experience, so I don't think the cars are to blame here. Maybe there are geographical reasons for the road's condition, but right now, I'll be honest and say these highways aren't world-class yet. They seem to be rushing things, and I think that's why the quality suffers.

[MadinMumbai]

Originally Posted by Shreyans_Jain

Depends on your car.

I was in a new Creta. 7k and 6 months only. Set cruise control at 100, then brought it down to 90 and then brought it to 80. The joints, if that’s what they are called, make for a bump that launches the suspension through its entire range and beyond. A Fortuner ahead of us, and possibly at 120 kmph, seemed like it might be in a tennis match, rocking and rolling more than Mick Jagger.

[akbaree]

I remember driving here couple of years back. And I completely share your feeling. It is surely not a road for 120 KMPH. Whatever car. IMHO, it is a safety risk putting speed limit of 120 KMPH on this road.

[Shreyans_Jain]

Originally Posted by MadinMumbai

I was in a new Creta. 7k and 6 months only. Set cruise control at 100, then brought it down to 90 and then brought it to 80. The joints, if that’s what they are called, make for a bump that launches the suspension through its entire range and beyond. A Fortuner ahead of us, and possibly at 120 kmph, seemed like it might be in a tennis match, rocking and rolling more than Mick Jagger.

Originally Posted by akbaree

I remember driving here couple of years back. And I completely share your feeling. It is surely not a road for 120 KMPH. Whatever car. IMHO, it is a safety risk putting speed limit of 120 KMPH on this road.

Exactly my point. The current Creta and Verna represent the minimum acceptable highway dynamics for expressway driving. You need to experience cars with genuinely good suspensions to feel the difference in the depth of engineering. Vehicles like Compass, Hexa, Harrier/Safari, XUV700, Tucson, CRV, Superb, Kodiaq etc all drive F-L-A-T on the expressway at 110-130. Huge difference against the likes of Creta, City, Baleno and Fortuner.

[VaibhavShatna95]

Originally Posted by Shreyans_Jain

Exactly my point. The current Creta and Verna represent the minimum acceptable highway dynamics for expressway driving. You need to experience cars with genuinely good suspensions to feel the difference in the depth of engineering. Vehicles like Compass, Hexa, Harrier/Safari, XUV700, Tucson, CRV, Superb, Kodiaq etc all drive F-L-A-T on the expressway at 110-130. Huge difference against the likes of Creta, City, Baleno and Fortuner.

Not true. I don't find this expressway remotely comparable to infra you will find outside India. If you need SUVs to drive on a highway, it wasn't engineered all that well to begin with. I remember as well driving on it in the initial days and the ride was much better. Whatever they have done the vertical unevenness on this highway has increased manyfold since it was inaugurated a year ago? Definitely sub par engineering, wonder driving Porsche around it now, I bet it will scrape the bumper or even break it.

[manjubp]

While German cars are renowned for their engineering excellence and high-performance capabilities, it's crucial to recognise that our roads accommodate a wide range of vehicles, from compact city cars to larger utility vehicles. Setting speed limits based solely on the capabilities of a select few would not only be impractical but also potentially hazardous for the broader spectrum of drivers.

By adopting a more holistic approach to setting speed limits or designing roads, NHAI could have ensured the safety of all road users. Alternatively, Indian mass car manufacturers needs to consider significant improvement in India's infrastructure and update their cars mechanically too.

[drive_factor]

Couple of week ago we did it in a Maruti Grand Vitara at a steady 110-120 throughout. Except in one occasion no problem at all.

But just like our other 'world-class' highways EPE too is unsafe and not necessarily due to road surface. EPE should be specified to max 100km/h.

Its about time we raised a dedicated highway petrol force a la CISF. Highway traffic and safety management is beyond local thana skill-set.

As of now calling any of our highways as world class in all aspects is a stretch but we shall eventually get there. Civil aviation infra is one such area where we have achieved good progress. Anyone remembers our PWD type airport terminals from 15 ~ 20 years ago?

[SilverSmoke]

I drive Kodiaq 2.0 TSI frequently on this road. Although, it can cruise at 120 KMPH without efforts over it, insecurity over bumpy sections often sinks in - I wish it was better.

Newly constructed Highways / Expressways within Haryana are way better.

[MadinMumbai]

Can cruise vs safely (and comfortably) cruise isn’t a discussion. I drive my Honda Brio at 100 kmph on the Mumbai-Pune expressway. It doesn’t feel half as unsafe as 80 kmph felt in a Creta on this highway.

[sinharishi]

Thank you for bringing this up. Lately, everyone has been writing only praises for all expressways coming up in the country. EPE and WPE both are very convenient for me, from G.noida to anywhere West/North/East of Delhi, I take it on every trip.

While EPE surface is still acceptable, WPE literally has surface worse than some NH. Imagine doing 110 KMPH and you have a big pothole covering 2 lanes! From the day I first discovered till as late as couple of weeks back - this giants size pothole still existed on so called expressway!

The expressway is good for 120, albeit in some stretches. I usually hit the limit when I enter from Meerut expressway and take Sirsa exit for home, on the other side, it is good from Palwal exit till Sirsa. I am also the one who never found the overhyped Delhi-Mumbai Expressway world-class. I don't know when are we going to master the art to keep the roads flat over underpasses, river etc.

I partially agree with depends on the car argument, my Slavia is comfortable hitting the limit but at the same time my Polo keeps dancing.

We are adding a lot of KMs of expressways in the country and they are best suited for SUVs.

[himanshu_trikha]

I remember by father doing north of 100 kmph in our Maruti 800 while moving from delhi to Punjab, we all kept praying at the rear seats.

My first experience on Autobahn changed the perspective of driving on highways and till date it’s the benchmark.But the conditions at home turf is much different ,I was happy with fact that no slow moving traffic or read tractor was appearing suddenly on Yamuna expressway.Indian Highways have to improve especially at the rate of Taxes and tolls that we are paying on highways ,May be a decade more and things shall be sorted.

The state of feeling safe and being actually safe can be a topic of debate and there can be a lot of variable and constants involved .I agree with the fact that my XUV700 feels more planted on these expressway as compared with Honda city.

But are we missing a point here ,120 KMPH is the max speed and most cars I could drive on highways behave well between 80-100 Kmph, choose the cruising speed as per your and vehicle condition.

[ABHI_1512]

I have driven on EPE during its early years way back in 2018, it had just about come up then. The road was uneven and little bumpy for my comfort but I could still maintain speeds above 100 kmph in my Ecosport without feeling unnerved. I somewhat agree that lighter cars will have its share of problems driving on uneven surfaces on high speeds.

I don’t really know the present condition of EPE now but it’s quite possible that what OP felt is true. I have driven a Creta over the Purvanchal Expressway and it does get unnerving over 110 at some uneven points but it has more to do about the steering feel and less about the kerb weight. The speed limit of some modern expressways is 120 kmph but it is also true that road surfaces are still not upto the mark of many new expressways and that is indeed detrimental for lighter cars doing speeds above 100 !!

[GTO]

There is no real science to our authorities assigning speed limits to roads, and I see blunders all the time. For instance, 30 kmph speed limit on the JJ Flyover is painstakingly slow and dare I say...dangerous too.

On the other hand, I saw a 100 kmph speed limit on such a 2-lane highway in Goa (not exactly this point, but a similar patch after this one)! Was very surprised - it's too high for this kind of road:


100 kmph for the arrow-straight Atal Setu is too low in my opinion. It should be 120 kmph.