MARGAO
Call them speed breakers, rumblers or rumbler sticks, they have come to haunt motorists travelling on the Margao-Cuncolim stretch of the National Highway 66.
Reason: Rumbler sticks have replaced speed breakers at least at three places along the Dramapur-Sirlim stretch, but the sticks seemed to have not been laid as per the laid down guidelines. A drive further down on the National Highway, one would come across rumbler sticks replacing humps along the stretch between Navelim and Chinchinim, but speed breakers still stand tall on the Highway at Panzorconne-Cuncolim.
Consider this. Rumbler sticks have been in place at the accident-prone Sirlim junction for over a year now. Just metres away from the existing rumbler sticks at Sirlim, however, speed breakers have been regulating the speed near the Our Lady Shrine, the Dramapur bus stop and the Jakhniband bus stop.
After the laying of a new hot mix carpet over the damaged highway road, the humps and speed breakers simply disappeared and were replaced by rumbler sticks.
What has raised questions about the new rumbler sticks near the Shrine and the two bus stops is that they appear different in specifications as compared to the rumbler sticks at the Sirlim junction, located hardly metres away from the other three places.
While the rumbler sticks laid at the Sirlim junction do help in reducing speed, that is not so at the other three places, where the sticks do not help, with vehicles zooming as if there are no rumbler sticks.
Former Dramapur-Sirlim sarpanch & activist Dominic Noronha pointed out that the rumbler sticks laid along the Dramapur-Sirlim stretch of the NH66 raised questions about whether they all conform to the specifications or not. For, the new rumbler sticks laid at the three places at Dramapur and the existing one at Sirlim do not conform to the set specifications.
“Either the new rumbler sticks conform to the specifications or the sticks laid at Sirlim are correct. It is high time the PWD, NH officials take a look at the rumbler sticks at the four spots,” he said.
Noronha further pointed out that given the new rumbler sticks do not facilitate speed reduction, motorists entering the highway near the residence of former MLA Manu Fernandes and at the Dramapur bus stop are facing hardships and delays.
The issue had come up for discussion at the first gram sabha of the newly-elected Dramapur-Sirlim panchayat, with sarpanch Avita Pereira promising to discuss the issue in detail at the meeting.
The issue of rumbler sticks and speed breakers is not restricted to the Dramapur-Sirlim stretch of the National Highway. As one drives further down towards Cuncolim, motorists come across humps or speed breakers at two places at Panzorconne-Cuncolim at a distance of around 100 metres, raising questions about how come humps continue to exist if they are banned on the National highways.
A senior PWD, NH official has promised to direct an engineer to study the rumbler sticks recently laid on the NH at Dramapur and the existing one at Sirlim.
“Normally, the rumbler stick ought to be of 15-25 mm specification. Maybe the contractor will put the sticks with the right specification after the second hot mix coat,” the official added.
Unstarred question by MLA Vijai Sardesai
and reply by PWD Minister Nilesh Cabral
- Whether speed humps/bumps are banned in the State, if so, give a copy of the notifications
Speed breakers are not permitted on National Highways. Circular from MoRTH dated April 11, 2016, enclosed at Annexure 'B'
- Whether the government is aware that rumble strips installed in Goa are aggravating back injuries and causing noise pollution in residential areas
Some representations with such apprehensions have been received
- The comparative cost of installing and maintaining rumble strips compared to a speed bump
As per GSR 2020 roads, the cost of installation of rumbler strips (set of 15 Nos) is Rs 6,768 RM. Whereas the cost of installing a speed breaker is Rs 4,055 RM.
- The total annual cost of installing and maintaining rumble strips across Goa?
There is no recurring maintenance cost since once the rumbler strips are installed and painted during the execution of that particular work, will have to be relaid during the next renewal/resurfacing only. The annual cost depends on the number of locations where rumbler strips are to be provided which is done on the recommendations of Traffic Police
