Mumbai-Pune Expressway

[Rtech]

Discussion on tyre pressure has been merged with : tyre pressure (Tyre pressure, have you checked yours lately?)

Tnx

[sunil]

Good points Umesh.
Speed restrction should be strictly reinforced. Some time back there was checking through radar guns. But frequent commuters would know in advance the precise location and used to slow down there.
This was told by our driver who shuttles 3/4 times a week. But now there is no such speed checking.
To overcome this, the speed checking locations should be changed daily.

In summer if u wanna travel by expressway travel either very early in the morning or late in the evening. In short travel before sun is at its peak which will make road further hot.

Further can we have carpool lanes with yellow/red paint divider and entry/exit points like its ther US ? I am not sure how it can be a success as there always some road work going on but still worth giving a try.

[ported_head]

Has anybody noticed how they patch up the deteriorated concrete road surface with tarmac? I'm no civil engineer, but doesn't sound like concrete and tarmac would co-exist peacefully.

[speedsatya]

also on the pune -mumbai stretch after the last toll booth ,there is this curve towards the left.which is slightly raised.so when ur doing 120-140 and are overatking some other vehicle ,this can be quite tricky as the raised portion is tar.so if u dont lift off the throttle ,the car can get unbalanced .and this curved portion is tar.so half of the car is on concrete ,while the other half is on tar.

and on,one of the the tunnels on the ghats which is also on a curve,the road is always wet just after u enter the tunnel.most of us are already doing 100+ on this stretch.so if u brake on seeing the water ,ur almost certain to be doomed.all u can do is slow down before the entrance of this tunnel .also if the steering input is more,u can feel the car understeering.
sont know ,if it happens in bigger cars with better tires,but it does happen in small cars.
it did not happen with the 165/60 tires,but i sud always feel it with the 145 and 155 tires.

maybe a warning about the road being wet before the tunnel could help.

[psp62in]

There are some other contributing reasons for accidents on the express highway:
1) The inadequate road signage about the constant repairs going on. I mean at many places two or one of the three lanes are under repair and the diversion/warning signs appear only about 300-400 mtrs before the lanes are blocked off. This was certainly one factor that contributed to the last weeks accident in which 4 people were killed. The contractore need to be educated road. (in some cases the right most lane is partly blocked due plant watering activities)

2) After the sunset, I have seen many vehicles (perticulalrly the trucks) running without the tail lamps. When one is driving at 80 kph, these things assume a great importance.

Frankly I dont agree with the argument that speeds above 80kph are contributing to the accidents. (120 should be certyainly a safe speed for a properly maintained vehicle as this road has been orginilly designed for 120 kph). But then the overall driving discipline of everyone around needs to improve

[Rudra Sen]

Originally Posted by psp62in

1) The inadequate road signage about the constant repairs going on.

Spot on. Saw at least 15 such activities today without any signage/signals.

[tsk1979]

Originally Posted by umeshd

I
1) Tyre pressure - since the concrete road gets tyres heated fast. I usualy keep 28-26 - front/rear (normal is 30/28) and the car keeps rock steady at 120.

Dont do that dude!!, at high speeds tire pressure should always be 2-4psi above the recommended. The recommended is he minimum, not the max. If your tire pressure is lower than recommended, there is a danger of standing wave getting formed, as the tire will not come back to its position before it completes one roation. Standing waves store energy like a capacotor and release them explosively resulting in blowouts.

[Rehaan]

Umesh,
As tsk1979 said, DONT lower your tirepressure for the expressway.
Read why - on pages 5,6,7 of this thread (Tyre pressure, have you checked yours lately?) and continue the discussion there if neccessary.

cya
R

[drifter]

I dont know if anybody has mentioned it....

but that speed limit of 80kmph is there for a reason...if everyone follows the speed limit then see the reduction in the number of accidents.

Most of the cars involved in accidents are doing way over the speed limit....i think people should limit the speeds to not more than 100kmph.

Drifter

[Shan2nu]

Speaking of speed limits. Why do then need to have the same limit for all the vehicles?

A loaded truck at 80kmph is as vulnerable as a sports car at 160kmph. I bet a good sedan can do a 150-0 in the same time and distance as it would take a loaded truck to do a 80-0.

I feel expressways should have various limits.

Shan2nu

[drifter]

I feel expressways should have various limits.

Agreed...


But they should be enforced strictly...and there lies the problem.
Speed checking is only a money making exercise in this country. Cops catch you for overspeeding just for the fine...not because they are concerned about the safety.
But either ways...speed checking should be done frequently and across various sections of the expressway....especially the dangerous sections.

It has to be done to ensure the safety of the motorists.

Drifter

[kavit]

i think we guys all fell for the hype surroundin the expressway. sure it was one of the first of its kind in the country. but i dont need to stress much on its quality. its now notorious for claiming lives. jus drove down sometime back.its quite bumpy on few stretches

[Shan2nu]

And i hate those ragular breaks between the concrete slabs. Makes you feel you're travelling in a train.

Shan2nu

[sunil]

Just to let u know guys, there were 207 accidents in the last 3 months in which 31 people have died. These figures were put in the state assembly yesterday...Well just figures but no figures but no measures... feels very bad

[adya33]

i feel that the problem with expressway is mostly due to lack of public knowledge.

around 90% of people driving don't know how important it is to take good care of car, they don't know traffic rules
the heck i have even came across people crossing expressway just like any city road while all cars are going at the speed of around 120kmph & even one time i had came across a guy having his cycle in his hand & wealking through rightmost lane, i even shouted at him but it doesn't seem to concern him.