Clearly marked out: In the Adyar zone, 18 out of the 20 speed breakers have been completed with thermoplastic application. A speed breaker at Rathiram Nagar in Kamaraj Nagar, Thiruvanmiyur.
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
The Greater Chennai Police and the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) are establishing a speed breaker committee to regulate and standardise road safety measures. This committee will assess and authorise the installation of speed breakers across the 15 zones of Chennai.
GCC officials say that the decision is aimed at ensuring a uniform process for approving and placing speed breakers. The committee will oversee the approval process for installation of new speed breakers and ensure coordination between the police and the civic authorities.
The Greater Chennai Traffic Police have been given a list of 140 proposed speed breakers. The list has been circulated to the respective police stations for a review. “The framework and roles of the committee will be finalised at a meeting scheduled for Monday. The constitution of the committee has to be approved by the Greater Chennai Traffic Police,” according to an official of the GCC.
Survey of interior roads
Deputy Mayor M. Magesh Kumaar has said the traffic on and the condition of the interior roads of the Corporation would be surveyed and the findings would be submitted to the Bus Route Roads Department, who would install speed breakers after police approval. Requests from his ward 169 have also been submitted for approval.
According to data from the Chennai Corporation, in the Madhavaram, Tondiarpet, and Royapuram zones, all 41 planned speed breakers have been completed. The work comprises milling, laying, and thermoplastic application. In the Kodambakkam zone, work is under way on 29 speed breakers; only thermoplastic application is to be done. In the Adyar zone, 18 of the 20 speed breakers have been completed with thermoplastic application. Only additional work is pending. More than 100 speed breakers have been repaired, and markings are yet to be completed, mainly in the Kodambakkam and Adyar zones, according to the Bus Route Roads Department.
“Further installation of speed breakers will be subject to the committee’s approval. Tenders will be issued to third-party contractors for repairs and painting. Thermoplastic paints will be used for markings as they contain reflective glass beads, increasing visibility and durability against heavy traffic and harsh weather,” an official says.
‘Plea to consult residents’
Public feedback on speed breakers has highlighted concerns over their design, placement, and lack of markings. Raghukumar Choodamani of the Perambur Neighbourhood Development Forum says residents should be appointed to a ward-wise committee for better transparency. He notes that residents are unaware of ward sabha meetings and they should be consulted in such matters.
Many petitions seeking speed breakers conforming to Indian Roads Congress (IRC) standards and a median on Perambur High Road near Kumarasamy Street and Venkatraman Canal Street have been ignored, he says. He further says speed breakers on JJ Scheme Road, Patel Road, Bharathi Road First Street, Ramachandran Street, and other locations, particularly in Wards 71, 144, and 145, do not meet the IRC standards. These speed breakers lack proper markings, and roads around Madhavaram High Road and Madhavaram High Road First Cross have not been adequately restored after being dug up. He adds that markings and warning boards are missing in these areas. He points out that rash driving, drunk driving, and accidents could be mitigated through proper road safety measures.
Uneven and unmarked
Traffic Dr. Ramasamy Social Welfare Trust founder D. Babu, who is an autorickshaw driver, says he has not seen boards for alerting motorists to speed breakers in Chennai, but on State and National Highways near Chengalpattu. He says the bumpers and other parts of vehicles frequently sustain damage from uneven and unmarked humps. He acknowledges that public participation in these matters is beneficial but points out that many speed limit violations occur owing to reckless driving. He suggests that officials conduct awareness campaigns on safe driving.
A traffic policeman says speed breaker warning boards have been added at Thiruvanmiyur. He says that along the East Coast Road (ECR), certain roads are under construction, and warning boards could be installed near schools on interior roads. However, installing boards on all interior roads will be expensive, unless companies fund this project under their Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives, he points out.
The Corporation has said the appointment of residents and elected representatives to the committee has not been considered so far, but it can be discussed later.
Published – February 09, 2025 10:51 pm IST