Delhi Road Speed Limit: After almost a decade in the capital of the country, some changes have been made in the speed limit. Talking about the change in speed limit, there are only 5 stretches on which it has been changed.
New Delhi: After almost a decade, the Delhi Traffic Police has changed the maximum speed of vehicles on the roads. After these changes, the speed of vehicles has been increased on some roads, while in some places the speed has been reduced. To know how this will affect the traffic and safety of the city, Prashant Soni spoke to Piyush Tiwari, CEO of Save Life Foundation, an organization working for road safety.
Changed Speed Limit on 5 Roads
If we talk about the change in speed limit, then there are only 5 stretches on which it has been changed. The speed limit has been increased from 50 to 60 kmph on a 2 km stretch between Wazirabad and Timarpur on the Inner Ring Road. Similarly, between District Center to Mukarba Chowk on Outer Ring Road, between Mahipalpur Chowk to IGI Airport on Central Spine Road and between Sanjay Gandhi Transport Nagar to Mukarba Chowk on NH-1, the speed limit has been increased from 50 to 60 kmph. . At the same time, the speed has been reduced from 70 to 60 kmph on Barapulla elevated road.
What will be the impact of the speed limit of vehicles on the roads of Delhi in terms of road safety?
Delhi has the highest number of deaths due to road accidents as compared to other cities. However, it has come down by 30 per cent in the last few years. 50% of deaths are due to over speeding. In such a situation, there was a need for uniformity in the speed limit on the roads, rationalization with clarity. The speed limit was also different on different parts of some roads. In such a situation, it was difficult for the drivers too. Now the situation has become clear with this notification. It will be beneficial in future.
How will it benefit?
After the new notification, the differential speed difference between the two vehicles will be reduced. When this difference is more then accidents are also serious. For example, if one car is at a speed of 70 or 80 and the other at a speed of 40 or 50, then the collision between them is more serious. There is a possibility of fatal accident due to this. Till now this difference was in the range of 30 to 40 kmph. Change of speed limit will reduce such accidents. It is a good thing that this time the speed limit has been changed in a scientific way.
But the way different limits have been set on the road, flyover and loop, will it not cause confusion?
Confusion will remain until the road communicates with you properly. It is necessary to put up signage of the right size at the right place so that the driver can know about the change in speed limit on the road. For this it is necessary to put up sign boards.
Is setting a maximum speed limit of 70 kmph for cars justified in terms of safety?
While fixing the speed limit, it should be seen that if there are cycles, two wheelers, cars on any road, then there should not be more than 60 speed so that brakes can be applied in the car if needed. Like Maharashtra, the speed limit of vehicles in and around schools and hospitals in Delhi should not exceed 25 km. In such places, arrangements should be made to reduce the speed by half a kilometer in advance. Speed can be controlled by making signage, speed working measures, rumble strips, cat eyes, table top breakers on such roads.
The maximum speed of two wheelers has also been kept at 60 km, is it good in terms of road safety?
Two wheelers are placed in that category, which are more prone to injury in case of an accident. The purpose of keeping their speed limit low is that in case of an accident, they get hurt less. There is only a difference of ten km in their diffraction speed with the cars. This will also reduce the risk of accidents.
Will such a change affect those who still defy the speed limit?
In the matter of speed, unless the driving rules are followed, then any change will not be beneficial. As soon as the camera is detected, reduce the speed and then increase it. That is why we had proposed to the traffic police to identify 220 such places in Delhi where people break traffic rules. There should be 24 hours surveillance with cameras. This will have a great impact. Like the whole world, action should be taken against those who break the rules through electronic enforcement in Delhi.
The speed limit has been increased by creating a separate category for light passenger vehicles other than auto-taxi. What will be the effect of this?
In the case of L-2 and L-3 category vehicles, we have been demanding that these vehicles do not meet many safety norms, so these vehicles should be made better in terms of safety and they have antilock braking system, anti-skid system, Seat belts, phlegm detection devices should be installed to make them more secure.
