Hyderabad: For the road users in the city, it’s a bit baffling. As they cruise along a road stretch, say the wide one in front of the Secretariat old gate, a board alerts them about the speed limit being 20 kmph. Drive along and a few yards down, another board near the Civil Supplies fuel station regulates the speed to 30 kmph. And just ahead stands another board which puts the allowed speed at 20 kmph. Go ahead a little and the speed regulation jumps to 40 kmph!
Similar incongruence can be seen by the road users on the ever busy Tank Bund. While boards are set up regulating the speed on the bund stretch as 40 kmph, the recently installed electronic display which reads out and informs the speed of every vehicle, has a board citing 50 kmph as the regulated speed.
The variation in speed regulation on different stretches in the city has been leaving the motorists perplexed, besides affecting traffic flow. The speed regulation differ drastically from one point to another on the same stretch and at many places, it varies from one road to another within close vicinity. Road users raise questions on the rationale that is adopted by authorities concerned in fixing the speed limits on city roads.
“How can there be different speed regulations within few yards distance on the same road,” argues Rehmat Ali, a road user at Khairatabad. Another driver, Ashfaq Hussain joins in, “Even if one wants to follow the speed prescriptions, there is confusion given the sudden changes in stipulations within such short distances.”
Mukunda Reddy at Himayathnagar wonders aloud on whether any logic, field inspection or guidelines followed while fixing the speed limit boards. “It is practically impossible to follow the restrictions while driving with such boards,” he said.
While the 40 kmph boards appear to be standard in several parts of the city, the variations dot with fluctuations of 20 kmph and 30 kmph boards. The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) in association with different departments, including traffic, Roads & Building, Transport and National Highways, impose speed regulations while taking into consideration various factors.
Among all factors, road geometry is the prime one. Depending on the curvature or slope or interventions (entry of traffic from lanes to the main road), the speed regulations are imposed, explains an official from GHMC.
These apart, different speed regulations are imposed at schools, hospitals, religious places and other high security places. At times, irrespective of the road geometry and based on the traffic police recommendations, speed regulations are imposed, the official said pointing out the example of Mettuguda road where accidents occurred regularly.
The municipal corporation had set up nearly 5,000 speed regulation boards across the city on different roads after conducting a thorough study involving different departments, the official adds.