[swiftnfurious]

Personally, I think raising the speed limit is a good move; but not till 140 kmph from a 100 kmph. As GTO mentioned, 120 kmph should have been taken now and a gradual increase after couple of years would be nice.

I don't agree with the theory that people will NOW start driving faster (because the limit is raised). Go to expressways, morons still drive beyond the legal limits. The fact is safe drivers will stick to safe speeds irrespective of the limit while others don't!! Considering we have quite capable cars now a days, it's definitely nice to increase the speed limits as I find a 100 kmph in a Swift, very very relaxed.

Beyond 120 kmph, I find the attention required to manage the vehicle is definitely MUCH MORE than what is required at 120 kmph; which is a sweet spot for me, irrespective of the car I am driving.

[aramosfet]

Although I don't support this move, I don't think it will have any impact on ground. As already suggested here, Safe drivers know our roads are not suitable for speeds beyond 100-120Kmph. Unsafe drivers are not going to respect the speed limit just because it is increased now, especially considering the enforcement of rules is non-existent. It will be better if the government raises the bar for getting a drivers license and enforces stringent fines on rash driving.

[Tanveer_2558]

Coming from a guy who does highway trips, One state to another frequently, All i can say is, This is surely uncalled for, Road quality isn't the only thing that matter's, They should first start from the root by training the drivers properly before handing them over the licence, One of the best routes i have driven on is the Baroda - Ahmedabad expressway, The tarmac is the smoothest one can experience with the road being almost straight for most of the part, But still every time i pass by i see several crashed cars, The reason for it ? I see the reasons live, When people change lane suddenly, Driver's are talking on the cellphone, Car's in bad condition, Some spoilt brats trying to think they can go faster than everyone on the road, And also some getting into a very (romantic mood) while driving.

I won't like this to happen until they,

1. Train the drivers well before giving them their licence.

2. Maintain a yearly check that every car has to go through once a year to ensure the car is in good condition.

3. Ensure some sort of safety barrier that an animal cannot cross and get on the road easily.

4. Provide roads worthy of having a speed limit of 140 kph.

Till then, Its a big no no.

[MDED]

Legalizing 140 kph tantamounts to giving license to road rage and encouraging people to indulge in already stressed highways. I Cross three districts while going to my workplace and I can personally vouch that by mere increase in speed by 10 to 20 kph, controlling a two wheeler or four wheeler becomes a task. The government before legalizing such high speeds should take steps to ensure that our highways are made safe.
During the recent deluge in Chennai last December the NHAI decided not to collect toll from road users on NH-4 for a period of 15 days as the roads were not in proper shape.

The number of stunt bike driving on the beach roads in Chennai stands testimony to abysmally low road sense amongst road users. Hope the government backs it's steps by sprucing up its spending from the funds allocated in the budget.

[NaviRai12]

in a country obsessed with KMPL, I doubt raising the limits is going to do any difference. People who would want to drive beyond 100 kmph were doing it back then, they are doing it today and will continue with this new rule and hence not much of a difference. Hitting a highway today and we will find a handful of folks going at 140kmph or beyond that.

The traffic cops with those speed guns will be worried folks I guess. Else they always wait at empty stretches right after congested spots where people would want to speed up to 81kmph and get caught. Anyways on a serious note, I am really scared of encountering a car doing 20kmph in fast lane when I am doing 140 kmph along with the other concerns mentioned by fellow BHPians above.

[WorkingGuru]

On highway roads, we're basically just autonomous objects manuvering at variable speeds. Human error or incorrect driving by others puts us at a rather high risk.

Maybe an expressways road conditions can support speeds upto 140kmph or higher, but the driving style of our Indian junta on these roads definitely don't make me feel that this is a move in the right direction.

I know many here may not like me for saying this, but only after having seen a few car-crash-compilation videos on YouTube, can I imagine the magnitude of the problem of massive number of highway accidents, especially its more in India.

With long distance travel, human error almost goes from 'possible' to 'probable'. And I don't necessarily mean accidents, at high speed even smaller stuff like hitting a pothole, or jumping a speed breaker (most of them are unscientific near village crossings), causes quite a lot of strain, if not damage, to our vehicles.

Public transport is the only sane way ahead. Real people are dying and the lives of their families are turning upside down! 'Driving enthusiast' type things could please be mostly kept in closed & monitored tracks.

[VW2010]

Like there was speed limit before and police was closely watching every vehicle to adhere to this speed.

140 in a stable Jetta is scary enough to have Altos and zens trying to speed up.

I am more worried about the sane ones who will drive at speeds below 100. How will it impact those drivers when a lune does something stupid at 140kmph


Unless they make freeways and not highways meaning either elavated or no cross traffix, cattle traffic etc etc I don't see 140 making things better but actually worse.

We are talking about 80mph which is quite dangerous in a developed nation

And forgot about govt busses and air busses. Feels scary the thought of it.

[Gansan]

Does that mean people are not doing 140 KPH now? I have seen many cars do that. When I am doing 90, they pass me in a jiffy and disappear in no time! Their speed must easily be 140+ if not more for that to happen. When travelling long distance by multi axle Volvos, when I was in the front row seats, many times I have seen them doing 130 steadily.

So the govt is merely going to legalize something that is already happening. And those chaps will get more brazen!

"Access control" will merely mean no access without coughing up money, or will that mean no entry for certain kinds of vehicles? Without the latter it is meaningless, and to enforce that political will is necessary.

[sgiitk]

The point is that what is a relatively safe speed? There will always be some lunatics doing a lot more. So if you go 120 they will start going 140+ and so on. This is the sane lot, not the real lunatics. I must confess on the YE I set my cruise control to 110kph (as per the GPS). The GPS is normally about 5kph off. So the indicated speed is 115kph or so. More than the speed it is the road and traffic condition which dictates the speed.

[SS-Traveller]

Why 140?

I am all for completely eliminating the imposition of speed limits on our highways and expressways, as it used to be many years ago.

Then, the local administrations and general public can proceed to install speed breakers, barriers and chicanes to slow down vehicles as per the need of that particular zone. Even on access controlled expressways. Because access control is a joke of a term on our e-ways, including the YEW.

With a speed limit of 140 kmph, drivers tend to think that they need to drive at 140 - or even exceed the limit by a little bit, just to massage their own egos about having broken a rule and gotten away with it.

Without a speed limit, I would expect people to drive at a more leisurely pace based on the road and traffic conditions. And of course, a few unmarked surprise speed breakers and unlit barriers (especially in the dark) would ensure they are always on their guard and drive a lot more carefully!

Get rid of all speed limits on our highways and expressways, I say, and give every local administrative body the authority to set up speed breakers and barriers! No speeding thereafter, and no speeding tickets either.

[noopster]

Speed limits in the West are set scientifically. At least in the US where the freeway limit is 65 (or 75), every time you are approaching a lower limit zone there are clear warnings and the limit drops differentially, never suddenly.

In India- at least on the Mumbai Pune expressway that I drive on every week- the ridiculously low 80 kmph drops without warning to as low as 30. As a result NOBODY respects the speed limit.

There is a spot at Chandani Chowk in Pune very near where I live where the speed limit is 10 kmph (I am not making this up). It is on a downward slope and one day very early in the morning with zero traffic around I actually tried sticking to the limit (do not try this at home!) It was impossible- the least I could manage without potentially causing a serious accident was 30.

We are a long way from inculcating a culture that respects speed limits, high or low, and this move by the government will not help. It will result in a situation where every driver will feel compelled to go at 140, with scant regard for the capability of his machine to handle it.

[VW2010]

@noopster,

Add to that in the west the speed limits are as much flaunted as anywhere else. I have never done below 75 in those 65mph zones. I will be the lonely driver doing such a slow ride in that stretch.

And this with so many cops waiting to bust you all through your ride.

Compared to our country where speed limit violation related fines are month end collection inside city and that too if you fall for it instead of fight for it.The best speed control is the car in front of you. As long as you can maintain a respectable distance and flow with the traffic i am sure you are safer than actually slowing down for following instructions.

[MinivanDriver]

Originally Posted by VW2010

@noopster,

Add to that in the west the speed limits are as much flaunted as anywhere else. I have never done below 75 in those 65mph zones. I will be the lonely driver doing such a slow ride in that stretch.

And this with so many cops waiting to bust you all through your ride.

Compared to our country where speed limit violation related fines are month end collection inside city and that too if you fall for it instead of fight for it.The best speed control is the car in front of you. As long as you can maintain a respectable distance and flow with the traffic i am sure you are safer than actually slowing down for following instructions.

I do agree that many folks routinely drive around 5mph to 10mph more than the posted speed limits in the US. However it is still very risky as criminal and civil liabilities are very heavy in case of accidents. In an unfortunate turn of events, if one gets involved in an accident in which there is serious injury or loss of life for a third party, a heavy prison sentence might be handed down just because you were 10 mph above the speed limit even if there was no other fault.
Coming back to the speed limit in India, I think there should be different limits posted in different sections based on visibility, proximity of junctions, entry and exit ramps etc. Also it should be a gradual lowering. For example, in US, in a state highway having a speed limit of 65mph, when a town is being approached, the speed limits will be gradually reduced in steps of 5 to 10 mph starting from a few miles before the town mentally preparing the driver to come to a stop if necessary. Unfortunately, in Indian high ways, what one typically sees is a 50 or 40 kmph sign couple of 100 metres before a cross road. Some one driving at 140 kmph will not be typically able to spot this and slow down in time.

[Hayek]

Well said Anoop. Insanely low speed limits that no one respects are a cause of accidents. What makes traffic safe or unsafe is the difference in relative speeds, and not the absolute speed. Driving in Germany at 190 kph felt perfectly safe, especially with the amazing lane discipline, warnings starting 4-5 km before road work starts that gradually bring down the speed limit, and great road surfaces. 140 kph is high for India - among roads I have travelled on, the Panvel - Khalapur and post Sinhagad Institute - Dehu Road stretches of the Bombay Pune Expressway, and the Yamuna Expressway are the only roads where such speeds would be safe. But to make this work, a MINIMUM speed limit (common on highways all over the world) of 100 kph is a MUST. If you have idiot truckers driving at 40 kph while occupying two lanes, or Padminis driving at 50 kph, this will increase accidents. It's high time we ensured that only vehicles fit for highway use are allowed on highways - and access controlled expressways are probably the place to start.

[tilt]

Originally Posted by noopster

Speed limits in the West are set scientifically. *SNIP*

Speed limits are NEVER set with safety in mind - speed limits are ALWAYS set with REVENUE in mind. Please watch the attached video for more information. And please also read the attached PDF (a study conducted in 1997) that also shows the absurdity of speed limits.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2BKdbxX1pDw

Speeding does not cause accidents. As Hayek said in the post above this, it's the differences in speeds on the same stretch of road that causes accidents.

On any highway in any developed country, in addition to a maximum speed limit, there's also a minimum speed limit (not always published) to reduce precisely these kinds of accidents - the ones due to differential speeds.

This means that you would never see a 100cc motorcycle or scooter or an auto using the same highway as vehicles that can actually do the speeds these highways are meant for.

In India we see all of the above. And we also see the aforementioned trucks who cannot do anything more than 60-80 kph using these highways.

I do not even want to bring in the concept of having U-turns on a high-speed highway. U-turns, and horror of horrors, pedestrian crossings!

We in India seem to be of the opinion that as long as we have four or six lanes that are not terribly bad, we have international standard roads.

How many highways have we come across where there is a bridge or an overpass, where the engineers/designers/builders are so bloody incompetent that they have not taken the basic precaution of making sure that the road and the bridge are built to the exact same height that there does not need to be a bump that throws the entire car into the air?

We need to understand the meaning of "controlled access". It means there should be no way for anything other than permitted traffic to even enter the highway. This includes animals and pedestrians and cyclists.

It also means that the only vehicles permitted should be those that can do a mini

Sorry, for some reason I could not continue typing in the previous post and had to start a new one.

It also means that if you or your vehicle cannot (or are not wiling to) do at least 80% of the max speed limit, you have no business being on that road.

However, for all that to happen, we also need a network of normal surface roads that can be used by such people; and the highway itself has to be "access controlled". That, unfortunately, has not been catered for.

In India, all we did was to take the same old roads and just added lanes to them. These still pass through towns and villages, have no way to let pedestrians get to the other side other than to do a kamikaze dash across etc.

Sorry for ranting like this, but I see from all the replies here that most of us have not understood a lot of basic principles and are writing a lot of stuff without that basic understanding.

Thanks for your patience. Cheers