SATURDAY, APRIL 27, 2024
Many a time, opinions and suggestions have been written in the past by various conscious citizens in this respect. But all this is overlooked by the myopic concerned authorities which in this instance are the PWD and RTO or the Surface Transport Department.
So to these two department officials, I request to do the needful to make the commuters ride and drive a pleasant one without any mishaps and its aftermath. If one happens to drive or ride say from Balli to Sanguem, there are as many as 20 or more speed breakers. Most of these, speed breakers were installed only after severe fatalities snatched away many young innocent lives due to the reckless driving by the drivers of the mining trucks.
The word speed breaker is itself self-explanatory. They are installed to slow down the speed of any vehicle at such strategic places to avoid any tragic accident and should be respected for one’s safety and those of the others too.
All over the world, there are speed breakers but not like the ones we have in Goa and India. First of all, the erection of speed breakers should be carefully chosen as to which place and junction they should be, and this should be done by an expert PWD Engineer, trained in this aspect. There should be scientific basis for their installation which a certified engineer can guide to erect them. They should act as a deterrent at the said place to avoid fatalities sometimes claiming innocent lives.
To our chagrin, we see that the speed breakers are installed in the most unscientific manner and it becomes a bane instead of a boon. While installing the speed breakers the height and the breath of the speed breakers is of paramount importance for, these two parameters will determine the value and efficacy of them.
The PWD gives the job of installing the speed breakers to any Tom, Dick and Harry, who has no scientific basis of the job to be done but they do it of their own accord without adherence to any international paradigm.
The young blood accelerates all the more when they reach the speed breakers, as the faster you go the lesser is the impact felt, but to the detriment of the shock absorbers of the vehicles.
Once the speed breakers are erected they get their first coat/touch of paint, off white/black or yellow/black. Due to the vagaries of nature coupled with the heavy rains that lashes Goa during the monsoons and the heavy vehicular traffic, the paint fades away and is almost invisible to the naked eye. It is the duty of the RTO and the PWD to inspect atleast every year when they observe the Road Traffic Safety Week, but sadly it is never done.
Such speed breakers have become back breakers more particularly to the daily commuters due to the invisibility and forgetfulness as to where they are located especially at night. If this is the problem with the daily commuters, one can only imagine what will be the fate of those commuters driving on such non painted speed breaker ridden roads. May the Divine Providence come to their rescue and save them.
Other than the speed breakers, there comes another novelty called rumblers which are a real pain in the back and the neck. The one erected at Sirlim are very prejudicial to the health of the commuters especially the older ones having any low back and neck problems. Anytime they can have a slip disc requiring urgent surgery to avoid its sequela.
Recently, there came up more rumblers at Padi near the Government School and the most recent ones between Balli and the Cuncolim Police Station on the National Highway. They are erected so haphazardly defying all norms that they give pain in the neck and break your back and are a harsh recipe for some senior citizens denying them to enjoy their glorious and much desired retired life.
