Bump into humps

Bump into humps
IKYATHA YERASALA
BENGALURU








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F aulty road bumps are a common phenomenon in Bengaluru where most speed breakers and road humps are uneven or hardly visible, thanks to the lack of paint on them.

One person who went through a horrifying experience after bumping into a hardly visible speed-breaker was Kabir Ahmed, CEO of a music management company. Kabir, who was riding on Residency Road opposite Chancery Pavilion at 7 p.m, had no idea what was in store for him in the next few minutes. “The road was badly lit and the rubber speed-breaker was hardly visible due to the wearing away of the yellow paint. I was in third gear when I hit something, and the fall knocked out my entire front teeth which were dislodged in my lips. My knee cap too popped out and I was pouring blood.” Talking about the risky speedbreaker, Kabir says, “Until you get about five feet close to it, you can’t see it. Despite me wearing a helmet and being sober, this happened to me.” Kabir, who went to visit the spot a few months after his accident rues, “Some of the blocks from the speed breaker were missing.” His is not the only terrible accident that has taken place at this spot. “A few months after my accident, a bus hit the same speed breaker and the conductor was thrown out of the windshield and he died on the spot.” Another hazardous speedbreaker is on Ali Asgar Road, says ad professional Vinod D’sa who travels regularly here. “In front of the Embassy building, which is just a few metres away from the Commissioner’s office, there’s a speed breaker only on the left side of the road. So, generally people avoid the left side and shift to the right where you have vehicles coming from the other direction. If you’re riding or driving for the first time on the road, it will be a real danger because there'’s no paint on the hump. It's very badly planned.” Vinod also mentions that Micheal Palya, near C.V. Raman Nagar has a speedbreaker every 10 to15 feet. “It is a difficult ride for travellers who have to face so many humps on one road,” he says.

Traffic Expert and Advisor Prof. M.N. Sreehari says, “According to the Indian Road Congress Statutory Laws, humps of any kind should not be used unless under specific conditions.” He says that according to the IRG specifications, the central height of a speed breaker should not be more than 10-12 cms. “The width of the hump should be three metres and the length should be equal to the width of the road.” In addition to that, he adds that they should be properly illuminated and painted.

What about the rubber humps that are posing a threat to riders? “These humps come in black and yellow colours that wear off due to frequent usage. Sometimes, even the nails and rubber comes out, so they should be replaced from time to time.” There have been many instances of speed breakers touching the base of vehicles, especially bikes. To this, Sreehari says, “Thickness of humps should be measured properly, if it overshoots and someone loses balance, it may cause instant death.” With numerous uneven and broken humps across the city, it surely is a dangerous rollercoaster ride for Bengalureans.