[Redex]

The only reason for speed camera or radar apps is to let people think they can speed until they reach a camera. Full Stop. Just don't speed, it's better to be late than "late". If you need to reach your destination earlier, just leave earlier and obey the speed limits. Simple. That's why many countries ban the use of such apps.

When drivers obey the rules, as they do in most western countries speed limits are raised to 120km/h. Currently I think 80 km/h is the most appropriate maximum speed limit for any class of Indian road. Once the country has suitable driver training and people obey the rules, then speed limits should be increased. I may be from the UK but I also spend 4 months every year driving in India. The standard of driving I experience in India is horrific. I will never use an expressway. My life means too much to me. Please hurry up and make driving safer for everyone. You have the same rules as the UK, mostly. Just educate and enforce.

Please drive safe.

As has been said before, average speed cameras are the best way of enforcing speed limits. If in doubt, slow down. There is no excuse for speeding. Comments like "I can't drive at that speed even in 1st or 2nd gear", just prove that you cannot and should not be driving. Regardless of how stupid the limits may be you are just endangering the lives of other road users and pedestrians. Stop being selfish, and slow down please.

[SnakemanJohny]

Originally Posted by krishnakumar

OT: Are these available in India? I had once searched for such a device and couldn’t find results.

They are available online, I got mine from amazon.in many years ago --less options there now. Do not go for the Russian language models made in China. They are cheaper but do not work !

Best would be to get through someone staying in the USA, as most brands are from there, though made in Asia (Malaysia, Singapore etc).

In India they are as rare as Citizen Band Radios, hardly anybody knows about them, though speed cameras are becoming very common.

[Axe77]

I used the Expressway after a long time and it’s now flooded with new cameras. Honestly I could make do with cruising at 100 for most of the expressway (although 120 would have been nicer) but what was the hardest part was doing the ghat at 50 kmph. I’m pretty sure I must have tripped one or two cams either at the base of the ghat and perhaps once on the ghat itself.

The 50 kmph limit is truly ridiculous and I can’t even imagine what it will be like when I’m hitting it on the downslope. Sheer money making racket. Try getting the relevant agencies to enforce against wrong side driving, wrong parking etc in my local area. Even meeting the cops on this has gotten nothing. Expressway on the other hand is easy pickings for the exchequer.

EDIT: Coming to the apps, with the sheer volume of camera, I just prefer to be within the speed limit instead of using the apps any more. It’s just easier to drive at that one speed rather go back and forth on the limit. Although as a concept, I see nothing wrong with apps that identify such speed traps. My fear is that there will be a larger section of drivers that will now blank out their plates and drive outright recklessly.

[ex-innova-guy]

Originally Posted by Axe77

I used the Expressway after a long time and it’s now flooded with new cameras.

Travelled on the Mumbai-Pune expressway couple of weeks back and the number of new cameras have surely shot up! Thankfully these are all noticeable due to the structure they are placed on and being on top of each lane. The earlier ones are very hideous and tough to spot if you are not a frequent traveller. Very hard to obey the speed limit in the Lonavala ghat section and easily would have breached the 50 kmph limit more than twice while descending to Khalapur but thankfully no challans yet.

[greenhorn]

Can someone from the legal background give shed some light on the alleged illegality of these apps? I am curious what laws and provisions they violate.

[binand]

Originally Posted by greenhorn

Can someone from the legal background give shed some light on the alleged illegality of these apps? I am curious what laws and provisions they violate.

Someone was talking nonsense. The software creators and data contributors are merely expressing their freedom of speech. The distributor (Play Store / App Store) have the right to practice their trade or business. Both these are fundamental rights protected by the constitution.

The constitutional exclusions come into play if these apps adversely affect "the sovereignty and integrity of India, the security of the state, friendly relations with foreign states, public order, decency or morality, or in relation to contempt of court, defamation or incitement to an offence".

I would love to be a fly on the wall of the courtroom in which Pune police is going to argue that driving within speed limit is a violation of public order or an incitement to an offence.

[Red Liner]

Originally Posted by binand

I would love to be a fly on the wall of the courtroom in which Pune police is going to argue that driving within speed limit is a violation of public order or an incitement to an offence.

Hope the judges throw the case out and fine the respective police departments heavily and personally for wasting everyone's time instead of solving important cases.

[arnab.i@gmail.c]

I would say the 'Need for Speed' on Indian highways are actually largely misinterpreted. In most highways I travel the roads (either 2 lane, 3 lane or even 4 lanes) you can hardly maintain any speed beyond 50 kmph for more than a minute. I have recently travelled consistently on Delhi Road (GT Road), Mumbai Road and Chennai Road from Kolkata and can safely say that highways are now under heavy traffic movement, especially with trucks and trailer trucks. Several times all lanes are blocked by trucks and/or other slow moving vehicles. Average speed can never reach more than 50kmph. Driving at night or day does not make much difference. Sometimes there are cattle, sometimes human beings, day markets, traffic signals (yes, bang on the highways), local slow moving transports 20-30 km before and after crossing a small town or city.

Rarely there are stretches where you can actually cruise at speed of 80kmph and here is where the speed cams are set so that if you slightly inch out of the stipulated limits you are heavily fined (every state has there strategy to make the amount as large as possible).

Are accidents reduced because of speed cams? No.
But are the state police making money? Yes, a lot.
Then for whose benefit the speed cams are installed?

I feel accidents are more due to large bus/trucks suddenly changing lanes or sudden cattle running on the road or due to serious bad roads. If highways have a limit for high speed then there should be some minimum speed limit too. Or they should have stipulated lanes (with divider) for trucks and slow moving vehicles and state police should fine them for moving out of there slow lanes (this should be a must).

If personal vehicle movement is not fast enough (between 80-100 kmph consistently) then what is the need for highways with such high tolls and fuel cost?