Speed breakers laid in violation of specified norms

Speed breakers in Tirunelveli and Palayamkottai causing accidents due to lack of warning stripes and incorrect dimensions.

Speed breakers have been laid at several places without warning white stripes and in violation of the specified dimensions in Tirunelveli and Palayamkottai are causing accidents instead of preventing the mishaps.

Speed breakers near Reddiyarpatti Government Higher Secondary School and the NGO Colony ‘Uzhavar Sandhai’ on the busy road do not have thermoplast white stripes. And, these spots witness accidents involving bikes every night, say traders having their shops near these danger zones.

“You can see this violation in almost all the bumps in Tirunelveli and Palayamkottai as the contractors entrusted with the road laying works do not fulfil this norm. And, the officials too ignore it and it results in accidents,” says S. Jawahar of Samathanapuram, whose car hit the bump at NGO Colony Uzhavar Sandhai in the night recently as he failed to notice it from a distance.

Another violation found is the speed breakers’ dimension as these bumps have been laid in varied sizes (height) across the roads being maintained by the Tirunelveli Corporation and the Department of Highways without following the stipulations. As per the Indian Road Congress norms, the height of 3.70 meter-wide speed-breaker should be 0.10 meter for the preferred advisory crossing speed of 25 Km per hour. Rises that are higher than 0.10 meter may damage the vehicle’s base.

Trashing this norm, good number of speed breakers have been laid in several areas of Tirunelveli and Palayamkottai. Even though the vehicle owners, whose cars have suffered damage due to the abnormal height of the speed-breakers have registered complaints with the Corporation and the Department of Highways, these structures continue to crash the vehicles.

“The speed breakers at the eastern side entrance of the Vaeinthaankulam new bus stand, near the fish market close to the Palayamkottai All Women Police Station, near the District Police Office, on both sides of Kulavanigarpuram manned level crossing etc. are the classic examples for this violation. The officials concerned should address this issue at the earliest,” says S. Murugan, a car driver from Kulavanigarpuram in Palayamkottai.

A senior Corporation official assured they would rectify these problems at the earliest considering the safety of the motorists.