Citizen Connect: Uneven speed breakers make rides risky for motorists on Nallathambi Road

Though the road is only about one and half km long, there are about two dozen speed breakers along the stretch, said local public. Adding to the woes, they added, most of these are not visible tomotorists, especially during night hours, as they are neither illuminated with embedded solar cells that glow in the dark, nor are they even painted.

“They are posing serious risks to the motorists. Due to this, we have lodged so many complaints with the local authorities, urging them to at least paint those speed breakers (to make them visible),” said K Mona, a resident of Anna Nagar, who passes through Nallathambi Road every day after work.

She said some of the speed breakers have been laid at such a height that there are often complaints of the bottom part of cars scraping the hump. “Sometimes, even the front portion of the car gets damaged when it passes through the speed breaker,” Mona added.

Besides being too high, they do not have reflectors to enable motorists to spot the speed breakers from a reasonable distance. In fact, there are not even signboards to warn them, she said, adding that it was the ones on two-wheelers who are the worst affected.

S Venkatesh, another resident in the locality, said that the speed breakers on Nallathambi Road vary wildly in length and height. This is against the norms issued by the Central Road Research Institute, according to which the height of the speed breakers should not vary.

Admitting the flaws, a civic official from Pammal Municipality said they had given countless representations to the State Highway authorities on NallathambiRoad and others. He added that they had even asked for signboards near every speed breaker. But little has changed.

These humps are often laid following the demands raised by residents of densely populated areas. Though there are norms regarding their dimensions, they are modified to fit the requirements of a particular street, he added.

“In many of the cases, even the speed breakers built by local agencies are flawed. It is up to the authorities to ensure that the rules are followed,” conceded the official.