Speed breakers on flyover to keep drivers from falling off

Motorists are finding it tough these days to drive on the two-laned Thakurdwara flyover as the Ghaziabad traffic police has installed five sets of speed breakers across the structure to slow down vehicles

Motorists are finding it tough these days to drive on the two-laned Thakurdwara flyover as the Ghaziabad traffic police has installed five sets of speed breakers across the structure to slow down vehicles. The traffic police said the speed breakers were constructed in the wake of numerous incidents of two-wheeler riders falling off the flyover and sustaining critical injuries; some of them fatal.

Ghaziabad, India - October 20, 2022: Vehicles ply on a road in Thakurdwara, Ghaziabad, India, on Thursday, October 20, 2022. (Photo by Sakib Ali /Hindustan Times)

The Thakurdwara flyover is constructed on the GT Road and extends from near New Bus Adda Metro station to Ghanta Ghar.

In an incident on June 30, three men fell off the flyover and died. In another incident on the night of August 10, a 23-year-old biker died after falling off the flyover. His friend, who was riding pillion, also succumbed to injuries on August 16.

On September 8, two men also fell off while riding a bike on the flyover and suffered severe injuries.

“We decided to construct speed breakers to prevent motorists driving at high speeds. This has resulted in many people falling off the flyover. So, five sets of speed breakers (each have six rumble strips) were installed. This will prevent people from speeding and avert accidents,” said Ramanand Kushwaha, superintendent of police (traffic).

But for commuters, the speed breakers are more of a nuisance than a boon, with several of them saying the breakers have complicated driving conditions.

“The speed breakers slows down traffic and that leads to snarls on the entire flyover. Furthermore, the breakers have not been painted white or embedded with reflectors and vehicles and drivers are caught unawares until they go over them. This causes riders to lose balance, especially at night,” said Amit Kumar, a commuter.

“We have never seen speed breakers on any other flyover in the city as they are generally constructed to smooth out the traffic flow. But speed breakers here cause traffic to slow down. It is imperative that authorities come up with an alternative,” said Vikrant Sharma, resident of Raj Nagar Extension.

The flyover was conducted by the Ghaziabad Development Authority in 2009 and since then, it has posed issues for commuters.

“The flyover has inbuilt defects, the most prominent being its narrow width. It should have been a four-laned structure. Creating speed breakers on a flyover is not a good engineering. It slows down traffic midway. Further, the expansion joints of the flyover also need to be filled up, and the road ends up losing its top surface and develops small potholes,” said colonel (retired) TP Tyagi, an engineer who served with core of engineers (Indian army).

“We will take note of commuter suggestions and paint the breaker white to ensure that they are visible even in the dark. However, public safety is our prime concern and that is why they were constructed in the first place,” Kushwaha said.