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-   -   One-Way Spikes to prevent wrong-side driving? (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/road-safety/191292-one-way-spikes-prevent-wrong-side-driving.html)

In cities like Pune where the problem has gotten way out of hand , why cant the authorities install one way spikes on major roads to get rid of this issue ?
In a city where this has reached epidemic proportions, people do not even think twice about beating up policemen who try and stop them.
Example Video Link

This is what we can have, and can be very effective as well :



Must say , have driven over these plenty of times abroad, and they are absolutely safe provided you are on the correct side of things.

We can have them on major roads on a trial basis, for a couple of years until people are habituated to follow rules.

Some pitfalls of having it in the Indian context :
- Incase of a major logjam , emergency vehicles will no longer have the option of driving on the opposite side to reach their destination faster.
- Thanks to our awesome government procurement process, we might end up with substandard stuff which is damaging for vehicles on the right side as well.
- Even if it is of good quality , will not stop people from claiming they were and their vehicles got damaged.

If not the government , private institutions like large office complexes with internal roads can get them too.
What is the opinion of BHP'ians on the efficacy of measures like these ?

If this is successful , one can even link them to traffic lights to curb signal jumping :)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJA3SAzF-n0

Ha ha so the local puncture shop guy will sabotage it to ensure his business flows in from both directions.

Jokes aside, the authorities make such a stink about regulation of people once we are already unleashed on the road.

If the Govt makes their RTO Depts comply with proper driving tests / road manners 50% of the problem will be solved.

Until then no amount of speed governors, ABS, sunfilm removal etc will help us.

The single point that it restricts emergency vehicles even in one in a thousand cases is enough to not have them.

Also, with the number of crossings/spaces in medians/ extreme off road part of the roads will ensure that this will not be fool proof. And lets not even go to how quickly these will be stolen and sold for the metal.

Just bump up the fines, invest what the govt would spend on these to enforce the law, and not just driving on the wrong side, but most of our traffic troubles would go away.

Just my 2 cents

Considering the level of ingenuity (read: Jugaad) that we Indians possess, I can visualize drivers taking their cars on the wrong side over these strips by placing a couple of bricks/stones over the spikes. Good idea, but not going to work for our country.

Do you mean to say that a person will carry bricks in his car, get down when he wants to cross over the spikes, climb back down, pick up the bricks and then drive away ? Don't think so. He will be the laughing stock of the town. ( Perhaps, this could also be recorded on camera and played on large screens nearby. :Shockked:)

Taking the OP's idea further, it has been in my mind for many years now, but do not know how it can be implemented. Why can't we have some system where these type of spikes or something similar rises up from the roads when a signal turns red ? This should ensure stricter adherence to traffic rules. The spikes should be spaced such that even 2 wheelers cannot pass in between 2 spikes. These could perhaps start rising above road level as soon as the light starts turning red from amber. This :Frustratiis what some Punekars would do.

Should immensely benefit the remaining Punekars.

No. I am talking about the actual scenario that we see daily on roads. Haven't you seen broken road dividers (even on expressways) for people to cross from where they should not? Haven't you seen dug up speed breakers, broken barriers?

People would just place bricks there and keep it placed there "for the benefit of everyone". And bricks/stones are very readily available on every street/road in India, no need to carry from your home either.

The Bangalore model will come with a light sensor, which will flatten the spikes upon sensing lights with color temperature around 4300-4500K.

Bangalore is endowed with 13000 government authorized Potholes already. :D
The last thing we need is, addition of devices like these, where overloaded 10 wheelers will reduce it a gruesome Tyre piercing mess.

Nothing can work in India. The stupidity which one sees on the road (like literally every minute, is more shocking rather than horrifying).

Yes, not to go on a tangent, wrong-side driving has become extremely rampant in India. I live on Golf Course Extension (and bought a house here, just due to this awesome road, some years back). It had great connectivity to hospitals, schools, shopping, residency, and notwithstanding a great drive. Now I simply hate driving on this road. It is the worst part of my daily office drive. Just the worst. One prime reason: wrong-side driving. The 5-6 km stretch has four petrol pumps (I guess same amount of booze shops), a lot of nurseries, and probably four intersections. A ton of people drive wrong side, and that too fast. Taking an average of 6 km with 4 cuts, there is one ~every km. But people still choose to go wrong side. Due to this, I now take a left from Hong Kong market light, and drive through some semi - urban, barren road (though it is well made -- some pot holes), to avoid this damnation of our nation. Why are people so lazy, dumb, and have an affinity for risk. Specially bikers. The put on the mantle of death, every morning, instead of their helmets.

Only in India are people daft enough to cross railways gates (when down), take their bike on an FoB bridge (yes I have seen that), and stare at their mobile screen while driving, constantly. This idea will fail, because even after a tire burst, the moronic driver will keep driving.

Sad.

But the spikes that could come up from the road would be difficult to tamper with. Of course, if people start behaving properly without recourse to all these inventive and expensive gadgets, nothing like it.

Are we expecting too much ?

I am sure some will organize protests demanding their right to drive as they wish. Just like they did for the helmets and seatbelts.

I am more worried of some idiot driving the wrong way over these spikes at high speed and crashing into the oncoming traffic. Instead of spikes, how about flat plate or horizontal bars like they use for the start of some motocross bike races? It can fold away if it's hit and won't kill you, but it will ruin the bumper.

Any 'mechanisms' will sieze to work once rusted or jammed with garbage flown in with stormwater.

It shall be simple, foolproof, non-damaging and having no potential to hurt people.

Appreciate your sincere opinion that wrong side driving must be stopped.

Unfortunately we Indians don't deserve such nice treatment. I remember my PT sir - everyone feared him. Not because he was nice, but he used to beat the living daylights out of any miscreants.

The govt needs to adopt some new measures - nothing is working so far, public shaming, increasing fines, education? Instead, having 10-15 bouncers at each junctions with lathis might do the trick. The fear of God needs to be instilled into the brains of the people. They should think over 100 times before even stopping in front of the white line (this is working somewhat in Mumbai since e-Challans were introduced). Single jumping should be treated as "attempt to murder" - as the driver is wilfully making this mistake.

Great suggestion, but I feel that this could hinder emergency vehicles and hence should be avoided. We have seen a dramatic improvement in road civic sense in Mumbai with the advent of fines being levied for crossing the white line or the zebra crossing. These fines are levied online and there is no cop around to argue with. Its amazing how even hardened BEST bus drivers now stop well short of the line.

I believe that if we enforce penalties for people driving on the wrong side, it will pay huge dividends and without any additional expense or inconveniencing emergency vehicles. I think Indian motorists can be reformed if the techniques are correct.

Mid 2009 these were put at Cyber City. Three pillars. When entry/exit were same. The spikes suppressed a fast moving wrong side vehicle. Driver lost control, hit a young man, killed him.