Unscientific rumble strips across Hyderabad, major threat to commuters
HYDERABAD: Rumble strips in Hyderabad are more than just a minor annoyance; they’re a significant issue leading to health problems like back pain and heightened accident risks. Several surveys have confirmed these concerns.
Sri Harsha, an IT employee and admin of Team Road Squad, spearheaded a ‘Rumble Strip Campaign,’ which is on the verge of completing 100 days. This campaign has been a resounding success, serving as a potent reminder for the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) to eradicate rumble strips and explore safer alternatives. #removerumblestripsinHyderabad is the hashtag ‘X,’ or Twitter users are using it to create awareness about rumble strips among people and ask people to slow down at the rumble strip areas.
In 2019, an accident on the Biodiversity Flyover occurred when a car fell onto commuters. After researching the issue, the GHMC authority implemented speed control measures. One of these measures is the installation of rumble strips along with transverse bar markings.
*According to the Indian Road Congress (IRC) rules, the rumble strip thickness should range from 20 to 30 mm. However, the GHMC awarded the contract to an agency and instructed them to paint transverse bars with a thickness ranging from 5 mm. The agency disregarded these guidelines and painted varying thicknesses, with some areas having 10 mm thick rumble strips and others with 50 mm thickness. This inconsistency in following the rules has been observed throughout the city,” said Harsha.
If a biker or a four-wheeler goes on the road, he will be confused by whether to slow down or at what speed to go at these non-uniform rumble strips. That is why I started this campaign on ‘X’ (or) Twitter, revealed Team Road Squad Admin Harsha.
Sai Harsha conducted research and interviewed several Zomato and Swiggy delivery personnel to understand the impact of rumble strips on their work. He found that these workers also face difficulties due to the rumble strips. For example, Road No. 45 Flyover has 18 sets of rumble strips, and Cable Bridge has 12 sets of rumble strips. Commuters on these roads are likely to experience back pain as a result.
“Personally, I used to travel over 20 km and experienced back issues. I also consulted a nephrologist who had many patients suffering from back problems. These patients were individuals who regularly travelled long distances within Hyderabad, covering more than 20 or 30 km over the past two years,’’ said Harsha.
The impact of rumble strips varies for cars and bikes. People who ride two-wheelers are particularly affected by them. Vehicles with thin tyres experience more discomfort due to the rumble strips. High-end cars with thick tyres do not suffer as much from the impact of the rumble strips, asserted Harsha.
Mostly, the rumble strips in residential areas also cause sound pollution, and there is a lot of research on rumble strips in the UK. But without any research, our GHMC opted for this kind of method, according to Harsha.
“I recently observed that the Nagole flyover, Habsiguda, Ikea, and other areas have unscientifically painted rumble strips. For example, the Nagole flyover has 12 rumble strips in one set. Having an excessive number of rumble strips can lead to vehicles losing control, especially if the wheel alignment is disturbed, potentially causing accidents.
According to Koushik, a traffic police volunteer in Cyberabad, in a single set, only six rumble strips should be present, but some locations have more than eight lines, resulting in accidents.
Koushik requested that the authorities raise awareness among people about rumble strips by installing sign boards or finding alternative options to these unscientifically painted rumble strips across Hyderabad. There are many alternatives available for these rumble strips.
“In May 2023, GHMC initially claimed they had made mistakes in implementing the rumble strips project. The previous government promised to hand over this project to someone else, but in the meantime, elections came, and the Congress government came into power. We are waiting for the government’s response and an alternate solution. There is an alternate solution known as a trapezoidal hump for rumble strips, which is safe for daily commuters and residents of Hyderabad,” said Team Road Squad admin.
