[sustran] Maharashtra to limit speed of vehilces to 65kmph

Rajendra A (Hindustan Times) rajendra_media at yahoo.com
Thu Sep 20 02:13:13 JST 2007


Maharashtra to limit speed of vehilces to 65kmph

Rajendra Aklekar
Mumbai, Sept 18
ALL commercial vehicles in Maharashtra would soon move at a pace of not more than 65kmph, thanks
to a proposal sent by the state’s transport department to the government to enforce the rule of
implementing “speed governors” on all its vehicles.

The commercial category of vehicles includes trucks, trailers, and even taxis and autos. The move
is aimed at cutting down accidents and accidental deaths in Maharashtra, one among the top states
in the country to have high death rate due to road accidents.

Confirming the move, Maharashtra transport commissioner Shyamsunder D Shinde said, “Yes. We have
made a detailed proposal on it and sent it to the state government for an approval. Speed governor
is a life-saving device and the basic aim of this is to curb the increasing number of accidents.
By implementing this rule, you may reach late, but will be much more safer on the state’s roads.”

“The rule will be applicable to all commercial and public transport vehicles. We went on a visit
to the south and have studied all the aspects of it. Installing the device will be mandatory on
all old and new vehicles,” Shinde added.

“Every heavy vehicle comes for a periodical test at the local RTO offices and that is when such
devices could be installed,” he added.
 
Besides Delhi, which has made it mandatory to install speed governors on Blueline buses, Karnataka
and Kerala are also in the process of making the device compulsory for transport vehicles.

At the last count, Maharashtra has 2,14625 trailors, 6,76,120 public carriers, 1,41545 taxis,
5,51,181 autos and the latest available death figure is 11,000 deaths per year, which means 25 to
30 deaths per day on the state’s highways.

Costing anywhere between Rs 15,000 to Rs 20,000 speed governor is a device that is linked to the
gearbox where sensors capture the pulse movements. If the speed exceeds 65 kmph, device cuts it
down technically.

The device will be more helpful in hi-speed areas like the Mumbai-Pune Expressway and major
highways where heavy vehicles tend to speed up. In Mumbai traffic, an average heavy vehicle seldom
gets a chance to exceed beyond 65 kmph.

Mohinder Singh Ghura, general secretary of Maharashtra Heavy Goods Vehicle Owners Association,
ridiculed the move. “Heavy vehicles all that cargo can never exceed 65 kmph and even otherwise
heavy vehicles never speed up 60. This move will not be of any help and will be a new tool to
simply harass us. I do not understand the need for such devices, especially when there is
provision in the law to prosecute over-speeding. It is a move to make money – first by way of
commission from the device manufacturer and second by harassing innocent heavy vehicle drivers,”
he alleged.

Another transporter said then the basic purpose of building a smooth expressway would be defeated
and the decision would also lead to huge economic loss and the movement of cargo and speed would
be curtailed and move to other means like railways and airways.

“The RTO should give more focus on road design instead of this. The bad road designs along the
highway are more responsible for the increasing number of accidents, not more speed” Prakash
Gawli, president of Maharashtra Rajya Truck, Tempo, Tankers, Bus Vahatuk Mahasangh.

Anthony L Quadros, general secretary of Mumbai Taximen’s Union also said that installation of the
device will have no effect on Mumbai’s taxis. “All cabs in Mumbai are run on CNG and have a
difficult time gaining speed. It becomes difficult for an average Mumbai taxi to climb the Lower
Parel flyover and even if we want, we cannot go beyond 45-50 kmph, so if this device is installed
in our cabs, they will not move at all.” 

rajendra.aklekar at hindustantimes.com











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Rajendra Aklekar
Principal Correspondent, Transport
Hindustan Times, Mumbai
HT Media Limited
--
140-4752, Nehru Nagar
Mumbai, 400024

Mobile: +91 9892 190 761
Office: 66539200
Fax: 66539250/60
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