Call to mark speed breakers in city

Rawalpindi

Wednesday morning, a two-wheeler rider lost control and fell on the road and got injured, while coming down from Shah Khalid Colony towards Lohi Bher Railway Colony, thanks to the newly built unscientific speed breaker on this stretch. Speed breakers like this one have been built at many spots on the city roads and the bad part is that none of these have marking or colour thus endangering bikers approaching them.

“The concerned authorities must remove all these unscientific and unsafe speed breakers in the streets built by the city residents. These speed breakers harm the vehicles. They authorities should build permanent and scientific speed breakers instead,” says Farasat Hussain from Faisal Town.

“Often I have you been caught unawares by the huge bump or speed breaker on the street. Majority of these humps in the city are unscientific. Even main, wide roads have so many speed humps in the city and the height of these breakers does not conform to standard norms,” adds Farasat.

“Yes, two-wheelers and three-wheelers frequently lose balance due to the height of these breakers. Commuting has become very dangerous at night due to this, and especially for out-of-town motorists these speed breakers are very dangerous without any marking or colour,” Majid Hasan from the same area agrees with Farasat.

“There are countless speed breakers in the city, including  several at the roads leading towards markets, hospitals, schools, at the entrance of banks, residential areas, even before houses in the streets etc. but all of them neither are of standard size nor marked,” says Saman Haider, a beauty parlour worker in Fazal Town.

“Where the humps are actually needed to control four-wheelers and two-wheeler reckless speed, there are none of them, but on the other hand where speed breakers are actually not needed there is quite a few every few meters. Frankly speaking, humps in the city continue to be a nightmare. The speed breakers should be painted and properly illuminated,” says Nadeem Abbas from Gulzar Quaid.

Aafreen Hussain from Dhoke Hafiz says: “Road accidents have become rampant in the Pindi city as many of the speed breakers in the city either have no marking or colour so these humps cannot be seen from a distance allegedly because of inattention of the authorities concerned.  If there is no marking on the speed breakers, the drivers fail to slow their vehicles, risking fatal accidents. “Let us paint them for a good cause and for the safety of our citizens. Safety is much important than being sorry later. Let’s do it, before it’s too late, adds Aafreen.”

Ahmad Hasan, a small trader, running a general store in Manraal Town told this scribe that the speed breakers here were made long ago but there is no mark or colour on them yet. Besides, small accidents are taking place while big accidents fortunately have not taken place so far. He demanded immediate marking and colouring of the speed breakers.”

Raja Amjad Ali, vice-president of the welfare association of these areas, blames negligence of the concerned department for not marking the speed breakers and colouring them.  

A city traffic department official says that they have issued several letters to the concerning authority for marking the speed breakers on main roads with colour and overhead lights, but a concerned department official, preferring anonymity, says that people themselves make speed breakers in the streets so they should also mark and colour the speed breakers.

Article source: https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/210442-Call-to-mark-speed-breakers-in-city