Speed ticket on Mumbai Pune expressway

[tsk1979]

Even the NH1 which is a highway, and not an expressway(with side railings etc.,) has a speed limit of 90kmph. Isn't 80kmph for an expressway absurd. It should be 120kmph

[jigbarai]

Most US highways have a speed limit of 60 mph (miles per hour). That is close to 95kmph.

Now looking at the roads over there and the capacity / power of cars as well (far more modern), isn't that also too low ?

It probably is. And it is so, for a reason !

Do people break speed limits ? Rarely. Again, for good reason.

[ghodlur]

Agreed that the speed limit on Pune expressway is lesser than reqd but most of the accidents on the e-way have taken place 1)when the speed limits are crossed 2) No lane following. The E-way is not a continous straight stretch and involves a fair amount of ghat section hence speed limits become all the more important.
Now how many vehicles would switch on the Parking lights and the headlamps when passing through the tunnel. I have not seen a single truck and Volvo bus doing so. Imagine going above speed limits and finding a truck/bus in front of you. Also there are a couple of total U turns which even a seasoned driver sometimes find difficult to manevour.
Does maintaining speed limits has to do something with the modernity of the car, IMHO I dont think so. Finally we have to reach our destination in good shape isn't it?

[tsk1979]

Wrong.
Most US highways(interestates) have 70mph limits, though it varies from state to state.
Moreover, there you are ticketed only if you are going too fast for the traffic,
So in Texas, where limit is 80mph, if entire traffic is doing 90mph, nobody is ticketed however, if you are doing more than the traffic, or less than the traffic you can be ticketed.
For example on a 60mph highway if you are doing 60mph in fast lane, and people are queued behind you, you can be ticketed for obstruction of traffic.
That said, when interstates pass through cities, speed limit is 60/65mph.
For example in california, sections of 101 have 65mph limit, and highways like I-5 have 70mph limit.
So your argument of "most US highways having 60mph" is totally wrong.

As for people breaking limits, the traffic on i-5 is usually in 75-80mph range, those going at 85 or above(much faster than traffic) are usually ticketed.

In contrast to that I have been challaned for doing 81kmph in 80 zone. I guess the police wants us not to look at the road, but at the speedo. Thats what I am forced to do on DND flyway. Eyes constantly on speedo.

[aargee]

Originally Posted by tsk1979

So in Texas, where limit is 80mph, if entire traffic is doing 90mph, nobody is ticketed however, if you are doing more than the traffic, or less than the traffic you can be ticketed.
For example on a 60mph highway if you are doing 60mph in fast lane, and people are queued behind you, you can be ticketed for obstruction of traffic.

^^^More than True

Originally Posted by tsk1979

That said, when interstates pass through cities, speed limit is 60/65mph.
For example in california, sections of 101 have 65mph limit, and highways like I-5 have 70mph limit.

With PA (I-95) having 55Mph limit, may be he's talking about overall average.

Originally Posted by tsk1979

In contrast to that I have been challaned for doing 81kmph in 80 zone. I guess the police wants us not to look at the road, but at the speedo.

Very stringent law; keep an eye on speedo; traffic; cattles; walkers; cyclists & morons. Now that's the reason if you drive well here, you can drive anywhere in the world

[CPH]

Originally Posted by jigbarai

Most US highways have a speed limit of 60 mph (miles per hour). That is close to 95kmph.

Now looking at the roads over there and the capacity / power of cars as well (far more modern), isn't that also too low ?

It probably is. And it is so, for a reason !

Do people break speed limits ? Rarely. Again, for good reason.

US citizoins rarely drive long distance for any other reason than pleasure. They take the plane or train or coach instead.

The sped limit used to be 55mph and was raised because people were constantly speeding.

Many years ago I manged to drive 1600km through 6 countries in just under 13 hours. I had to travel an awful lot with car , which was modified.

Today I need due to traffic nearly twice the time.

I believe in speed limits in danger spots, but the have to be sensible.

On motorways in similar roads I am against a general spped limit.

Germany is on rare place where you will find motorways without spped limit (some are limited for different reasons). The amount of accidents compared with other countries where spped limits are imposed are quite low. This despite Germany being a transit country for a lot of the commercial trafficas well as holiday makers.

In a country as big as India silly speed limits will increase the accident rate. The slower the speed, the longer the car is on the road. This increases traffic jams and the longer a driver is on the road the more likely concentration and alertness is going out of the window.

[MX6]

Originally Posted by CPH

US citizoins rarely drive long distance for any other reason than pleasure. They take the plane or train or coach instead.

The sped limit used to be 55mph and was raised because people were constantly speeding.

In a country as big as India silly speed limits will increase the accident rate. The slower the speed, the longer the car is on the road. This increases traffic jams and the longer a driver is on the road the more likely concentration and alertness is going out of the window.

US people dont' take the train or coach much. To start with, there's very less train system there. Not like UK/ Europe which scores 10 on 10 on rail network. US would be 1 on 10 with grace marks.
Coaches are used by the lesser priveleged. I once took a coach just to see how it is. It took me 2.5 hours to travel from Orlando to Sanford (which I normally drive in 20 - 25 mins). Very scary.
A lot of people drive long distance in US due to various reasons.

And your view on India's silly speed limits is different. Unfortunately, setting speedlimits is based on a scientific analysis. Whether the roads are capable of handling those high speeds. Look at Indian roads. No proper banking, sudden appearance of villagers and cows and what not on the road, no adherence to traffic rules by majority of drivers, no surveillance (UK has more cameras on the road than public toilets in India I guess). So in true sense speed limit in India is a joke.
Even if an cop stops you, people who speed ask the great question - Do you know who my father is?
They use their clout to wriggle out.

Coming back to the question. I try my best to keep to 80 kmph on the expressway. But there are the yellow board bullies who come on their scorpios, tavera, innovas, sumos who literally bulldoze me irrespective of which lane I'm in. So I do 90 - 100 just to ensure I'm not rear-ended.

[alpha1]

I have installed a speed governor in my car, which doesn't allow me to go above 40 kmph.
Because Indians, and consequently the Indian law, believes that accidents happen only because of going above 40.

[Sawyer]

For one, speedos are very optimistic, so I am never sure of my true speed. But I am usually at a speedo indicated 110 or so, which allows me to remain in the center lane for quite a bit, so I am sure I am at a median speed.
Separately, what we need is fewer and more sensible laws and restrictions, but very vigourous implementation. At this time, we have it exactly the other way around, with poor implementation of lots of silly rules. And it is not hard to do that - for instance, I would penalize a truck with no lights by making it park at the side and not allow it to proceed unless the lights were working. Or by imposing a fine of Rs 10000 on any one speeding, after having first set a limit that is a reasonable compromise of safety and quick travel. Do such things for a month, and things will fall in line pretty damn quick.
But then, would that be India?!

[CPH]

Originally Posted by MX6

Unfortunately, setting speedlimits is based on a scientific analysis.

Not in the UK. Did you know that there is only 1 site in Britain where the introduction of speed cameras has reduced the accident rate?

In all other locations it has increased!

Originally Posted by MX6

Look at Indian roads. No proper banking, sudden appearance of villagers and cows and what not on the road, no adherence to traffic rules by majority of drivers, no surveillance (UK has more cameras on the road than public toilets in India I guess). So in true sense speed limit in India is a joke.

Our roads are no better apart from the motorway. And even they get worse. The Uk roads are so bas now that it would take 35+ years to repair them if the entire road works force would only do the repairs.

Originally Posted by MX6

Even if an cop stops you, people who speed ask the great question - Do you know who my father is?
They use their clout to wriggle out.

I try this next time I get stopped.

[MX6]

Originally Posted by CPH

Not in the UK. Did you know that there is only 1 site in Britain where the introduction of speed cameras has reduced the accident rate?

In all other locations it has increased!

In UK, the common practice is to keep speeding until you notice the sign board that shows speed camera ahead.
Slow down over the strips marked on the road and come within speek limit, and once you cross the range of the speed cam, floor the pedal again.

It's equivalent to having a speed breaker here in our highways, where the only difference is, you cross the zone within speed limit there and you cross the zone with an almost stop and go here!

Wait till the start monitoring when you crossed each speed camera and then calculating your avg speed across the whole stretch. They were planning on that for sometime now.

[samatre]

A fortnight ago - yes on the last weekend of the month (28th Feb) was 'finally' ticketed
on the expressway for over-speeding !

While going to Pune just after the ghat section ends at Lonavla and the road straightens out near Walvan and as the cars start gaining speed I was steadily accelerating at 120 kms/hr when i suddenly see a cop jumping out on the open road in front of me and frantically waving his hand !! I thought may its a security check and just then i see a cop hiding on the median with a speed radar !!.

When i pulled over the cop very politely smiled at me, checked my license and reported that my speed was 117 and so i need to pay up. Gave me a challan for 200. also 4 other cars were pulled up behind me. He then showed me his log book; it had cars booked right from 140 + to 100 !!. Good collection that day though.

I protested ; told him that agreed the Law is final. But see the context; i have my seat belt on; look at my tyres (nitrogen filled); look at my car; and i am cruising without lane cutting on the fast lane in moving traffic - so what's wrong. He said "Sir, the limit is 80 -100. Anything more its over speeding - so please pay up. I did !!

[samatre]

Somehow I feel this reflects the sense of road safety in our country.
On the Mumbai - Pune expressway

People :

1. Drive without tail lamps in the dark.
2. They don;t follow lane discipline.
3. The don't use the dipper.
4. They don;t maintain a steady speed.
5. They don't have their indicator on while changing lanes
6. They drive at a snail's pace on the fast lane.

and nobody catches them !!

and i'm fined for cruising along the e-way at a good speed (by modern standards) of 120 ?- what a pity !!

Here's my solution :

1. Have a speed limit of 120-140 on right most lane.
2. Have a speed limit of 90-120 on the middle lane.
3. And everyone below this goes on the left most lane.

and enforce this very strictly - how's this ??

[pranavt]

So these cops are now going to jump at the side of the road to make you stop? How does that even make any sense? And if they are going to jump in the middle of the road to make you stop, what happens when someone loses control of the car at 100+ km/h gets killed, whether it is the cop or the motorist?

[MX6]

Originally Posted by samatre

A fortnight ago - yes on the last weekend of the month (28th Feb) was 'finally' ticketed
on the expressway for over-speeding !

While going to Pune just after the ghat section ends at Lonavla and the road straightens out near Walvan and as the cars start gaining speed I was steadily accelerating at 120 kms/hr when i suddenly see a cop jumping out on the open road in front of me and frantically waving his hand !! I thought may its a security check and just then i see a cop hiding on the median with a speed radar !!.

When i pulled over the cop very politely smiled at me, checked my license and reported that my speed was 117 and so i need to pay up. Gave me a challan for 200. also 4 other cars were pulled up behind me. He then showed me his log book; it had cars booked right from 140 + to 100 !!. Good collection that day though.

I protested ; told him that agreed the Law is final. But see the context; i have my seat belt on; look at my tyres (nitrogen filled); look at my car; and i am cruising without lane cutting on the fast lane in moving traffic - so what's wrong. He said "Sir, the limit is 80 -100. Anything more its over speeding - so please pay up. I did !!

That's good start from the cops. Sorry about your fine. But recently there was news that they are planning to hike the fine from 200 to 2000 rs.
I regularly drive the e-way. I feel bullied by all vehicled coming behind me at speeds between 90 and 150. I keep to the middle lane (the left most being lane for trucks at 30). Still people hound me when I do 90 on it.

Except in some parts of Autobahns. Rest of the developed countries have kept speed limits at a max of 110 kmph.

With morons on Indian roads who don't follow any regulation, lower speedlimits means better chance of survival in case of accidents. That's my IMHO.