Motorists grumble over rumble strips across Hyderabad

Hyderabad: The motorists have once again started demanding the removal of rumble strips on roads and flyovers that are laid in the city. They are raising objections over the rumble strips and urging the authorities to remove them. On social media, netizens claim that these strips, which were intended to force drivers to slow down and prevent accidents, are now causing spine and elbow pain.

The latest demand for the removal of rumble strips on roads and flyovers in Hyderabad arose after an ‘X’ handle called ‘Team Road Squad’. The experts who are promoting road safety across the country have been running a campaign urging the government, civic body and police with a daily reminder for the last 13 days. Every day, the team shares images and videos of two-wheelers, three-wheelers, and other vehicles struggling due to these strips.

Harsha, an expert and a member of Team Road Squad, said that the rumble strips are speed-calming measures used worldwide and in many developed countries as well; however, there has been opposition from the general public, the elderly, and motor enthusiasts across the world. “Especially in developing countries like India, where we have small wheeled vehicles like autorickshaws, bikes, and scooters, these strips, if laid unscientifically, can cause heavy damage to human health, including the spine, elbow pain, and the health of the vehicles,” he added. For the past several months, we have been campaigning for the removal of these strips; while some were removed by the authorities, many were laid on the city roads.

“With our continuous posts and other awareness, GHMC has taken a decision to remove rumble strips on May 27, 2023, by giving a contract to an agency; however, the numbers of strips are increasing. We have thousands of reposts, lakhs of views and have conducted several polls on social media where 700 people participated from across the city, and 89 per cent of netizens voted against it and said that they are suffering,” said Harsha. According to Indian Road Congress rules, each strip has to be 20–30 mm thick and 200–300 mm wide, with a maximum of 6 strips in a set, but this has not been followed by the authorities.

The thick rumble strips across the city have caused severe damage to many people, including pregnant women, post-operative patients, ambulances, heart patients, senior citizens, and many more. “These strips are not uniform across the city. For instance, on Jubilee Hills Road number 45 to Cable Bridge, we have a variety of thick strips, causing confusion. With this, new drivers may lose control at some strips. Moreover, car wheel alignment is severely affected, causing a sudden loss of control,” Harsha added.

He stated that “overspeeding drivers with big tyre SUVs do not feel the impact, where the normal speed drivers with small wheels are baring the pain. In some places where slowing down to 20 kmph is dangerous, like Kothaguda, flyover strips are causing tremendous risk to vulnerable road users.”

Moreover, the expert also pointed out, "Tragically, Outer Ring Road (ORR) has these strips now, which are not recommended on such high-speed roads where speed is 120 kmph and tyre bursts are possible.” Asif Hussain Sohail, an activist, stated that earlier, K T Rama Rao had instructed for the removal of the strips, and traffic police had already written letters to the GHMC for the removal of the rumble strips, citing the suffering of motorists, but the civic body failed to comply.