[Jeroen]

Originally Posted by Doge

140 is pretty fast even for Yamuna expressway. A 140 kmh speed limit would be among the highest in the world and on par with many countries in the west.

.

No, speed limits in the west are with the exception of some German Autobahn stretches between 100-130 km. Even on the no speed limit German Autobahn the advisory speed is 130 km/h

So a speed limit of 140 km/h is amongst the absolute highest speed limits in the world! I was out on the Yamuna highway two weeks ago. There were dogs and cows. Lots of people crossing, even at night and quite a few potholes and other poor surfaces. Speed limit or not, I would not feel comfortable doing more than about 100km/h at best.

The short version, I think it is totally insane and irresponsible to even suggest you drive at such speeds in the parts of India I have seen.

Jeroen

[Samurai]

This is what happens on our pristine 4-lane highways... note the GPS speed at the bottom right corner.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kxe9H5hdci0

[architkarpe]

crossing of road may not be permitted on expressways.. No offence to be registered against the driver for hitting a pedestrian trying to cross (thats the only way i guess to protect the driver and warn the locals) Pedestrian crossing the road are biggest threat be it 80 km/h or 140 km/h. I do not support unsafe driving but may be a law is required to protect drivers for being blamed for every accident.

Fear works .. Letting a person know that the driver is licened to kill you if you come in his way.

Some people might not agree with me but can somebody answer this question.

What do you do if you are driving down an expressway at 80km/h and somebody on a bike/ foot just makes a dash?
Two options : either hit him or maneuver engendering your own life.

worst scenario if one of them has to die is it you or the other person.

If any body is following the threads on the forum 'accidents in India ' you will realize a lot of people have lost their life for no fault of theirs or just trying to save some idiot.

[Chetan_Rao]

Originally Posted by architkarpe

........
What do you do if you are driving down an expressway at 80km/h and somebody on a bike/ foot just makes a dash?........

Irrespective of what current or future laws have to say about it, a human's basic survival instinct is and will always remain to swerve away from an obstacle, not go through it, and instincts are very difficult (if not impossible) to change.

[Turbo Head]

Firstly IMHO its just another political gimmick, the current govt. has mastered, just like bullet trains and swachh bharat and even if 1% highways are allowed such limits, expect another High Speed Cess coming soon

Talking about safety, I completely concur to view points of fellow T-BHPians that our cars (specially the hatchbacks and entry level sedans) are really ill equipped for safety and with errand drivers at such high speeds, they should be correctly monikered as flying coffins. However speed limits or no limits, how many people have you seen actually following the limits ?

Pointing fingers to none but myself, I have rarely adhered to 80kmph limits on NH1, during long drives (with premium D segment cars ofcourse), as it becomes really boring and monotonous to drive slow on empty stretches.

Having said that, irrespective to any speed limits, you'll always find an elderly uncle driving in middle of the road at 40kmph, or a tractor with no headlights coming straight at you from the wrong side, or a cyclist/motorcyclist (with no helmets and min. 2 pillions) or a jaywalker crossing the footpaths carelessly on so called high speed expressways.

I would really appreciate a better infrastructure and stricter law enforcement for the safety of the road users, rather than throwing such gimmicks to show pseudo development.

[RajaTaurus]

And how Mr. Gatkari is going to solve, eliminate those coming in opposite directions? I fully agree with GTO on this. 140 is disaster invited.
Like Thad says, why think to raise speed limits? Just because Suresh Prabhu announces upping speed of some trains, which in itself will take ages to happen, Nitinji too wants to do his part.?

[Dry Ice]

This is coming from the same Minister who wants to build a ropeway from Dhaula Kuan to Manesar to ease congestion on NH8 (http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/street...a-gurgaon.html). I wouldn't think much of it.

Does India really follow any speed limits? Within the city or outside? In the absence of speed guns? How does it really matter if it's 150 or 200? People out to test their max speeds will continue to do so. People driving defensively irrespective of the allowed speeds, will continue to do so.

[sgiitk]

Originally Posted by RajaTaurus

1. And how Mr. Gatkari is going to solve, eliminate those coming in opposite directions? I fully agree with GTO on this. 140 is disaster invited.
2. Like Thad says, why think to raise speed limits? Just because Suresh Prabhu announces upping speed of some trains, which in itself will take ages to happen, Nitinji too wants to do his part.?

1. Agree 100%. I have seen cyclists going in through a cut in the fencing and going merrily in a contraflow on the YE. Take a philosophical view, as my boss used to say, once you are above a particular speed, in case of a serious accident, only what matters is how long it takes them to scrape your remains off the barriers!

Take even the recent fatality on the YE, the chap was riding with TWO pillions, both without helmets.

2. Raising speeds of trains is a no-no. Why, once you start approaching 160 kph then continuous fencing is a must. So even if our stock and tracks are up to it, unless the fencing is done, forget it. Imagine a holy cow being killed by a loco on the track. All hell will break loose, esp in the cow belt. It is good that Prabhu is working towards eliminating unmanned crossings, a small first step.

[extreme_torque]

An appallingly bad proposal. The discipline on Indian roads is almost non existent and there's the small matter of maintenance too. The countries which have speed limits above 100 kmph have enforcement in the form of highway patrols and speed camera's even with inherently disciplined drivers. This is a disastrous proposal.

[Hemant_Joshi]

Accept what you say, but remember, this is India,,
There were stray animals and Bike's on a road like NE1 - Baroda-Ahmadabad, which is considered one of the best expressways..
I have seen many many bikes on Pune-Mumbai expressway atleast on the initial stretches..
Slow moving and undisciplined traffic is common sight on any of our roads,,

Having a caveat like this is useless..
Like somebody else posted - this only encourages folks to drive faster and invite disaster.
I don't believe, even our expressways are designed to handle 140 KMPH,

Originally Posted by mxh

It seems most of the posters are over reacting without reading the OP properly. It specifically mentions that it would apply only to "expressways with complete access control". Nowhere is it mentioned that this speed limit would be applicable for any other roads. As long as the expressway is run and maintained like that which is designed for 140 Km/h and over, I don't see any reason why the limit should be lower. If ones own driving capability or car's limits are lower then one should drive accordingly using their common sense.

[silversteed]

Originally Posted by Turbo Head

Firstly IMHO its just another political gimmick, the current govt. has mastered, just like bullet trains and swachh bharat and even if 1% highways are allowed such limits, expect another High Speed Cess coming soon

This is exactly what's going on. Did I hear announcements of elections in a few states? The IT brigade would go all out in "publicising" such "development activities". The irony is, the same minister who'd once talked about improving safety on Indian roads, cares two hoots for the basic safety measures while riding a two-wheeler:

Image courtesy: The Indian Express archives

Just like the other tall claims, only the "High Speed Cess" (if one gets added) part of it would stay, while higher speeds and safer roads will remain pipe dreams.

We, as a race, have to go a long way in thinking outside our narrow and selfish me-first attitude. Then, road safety would improve as a corollary. Sadly, the mass media including movies rarely portray anything that improves things. And as long as the enforcement is lax or targeted only as a revenue augmentation model (like the KA Road Tax amendment that was recently quashed by the HC of KA), we can only keep dreaming of Achhe Din (brighter days).

[architkarpe]

Mumbai - Pune expressway does not permit two wheeler / tractors, etc . How about only allowing vehicles with safety features like minimum two airbags, ABS,etc to be permitted on the expressway. This may prompt people to buy safer vehicles, force manufacturers to offer safety features as standard. I always wonder what will happen to the occupants of a Nano on the express way in case of a Tyre bust.

Why doesnt any body talk about setting minimum speed limit instead of increasing the speed limit? setting a minimum speed limit will result in more average speed and reduce the time of journey.

I do regular traval from Pune to Alibag or Pune to Mumbai may be twice in a month following are my observations;

Taking risk and doing speeds upto 140+ the average speed comes to about 55kmh
Taking risk and doing speeds upto 80 - 100 the average speed comes to about 50kmh

So you actually end up driving for may be 20 min Less. But is it worth the risk?
Setting a minimum speed limit can automatically increase the average speed to may be 60kmh and reduce travel time further.

With minimum speed limit rule the treasury (some pockets too) will benefit more by imposing fine on 90 % of the HMV and 10 % LMV using the route.

[BoneCollector]

140kmph!

I was a rear seat passenger in a modified Octavia VRS about 8 years back, and it became highly unbearable for me once he entered 3 digit speeds. In my 19 years of driving, I've attained speed nearing the whereabouts of 20kmph of the supposedly permitted speed on just one time and it was all by mistake. And maybe 3-4 times I've touched 100kmph. I've also driven across few long routes but have never crossed 80kmph. I personally feel that to maintain an average speed of about 50kmph, one has to drive near 80kmph due to various factors involved on highways. If you drive fast, all you can save is a few minutes but if you drive sanely and leisurely, you save yourselves. As far as expressways are concerned, I think 2 and 3 wheelers are not allowed on them, still a speed in excess of 100kmph is not recommended.

Can we have a poll added to this thread, about what we people on Teambhp feel is optimum speed limit?

[pankajn1702]

Originally Posted by architkarpe

I always wonder what will happen to the occupants of a Nano on the express way in case of a Tyre bust.

I own a Nano (2012), and have faced tire burst on expressway nearly 2 years ago - and that too twice; while going towards Pune and on the way back to Mumbai on the same trip on different days.
Luckily I was driving on the very last lane (left one) on both the occasions (I always drive from the last lane) and at a speed of 60 kmph. It was a May afternoon (Summers at peak)
I could quickly halt at the corner of the highway stretch during the tire burst.
Stock JK tires were horrible, which I learnt after the incident. Changed to MRF.

Regarding the speed limits, I feel it should not be revised/increased unless:

• road conditions improve. Don't wish to even talk about the condition of MPEH.
• people start driving more sanely. No tailgating, over-speeding, over-taking from wrong side to name a few.

[awini]

Originally Posted by architkarpe

crossing of road may not be permitted on expressways.. No offence to be registered against the driver for hitting a pedestrian trying to cross (thats the only way i guess to protect the driver and warn the locals) Pedestrian crossing the road are biggest threat be it 80 km/h or 140 km/h. I do not support unsafe driving but may be a law is required to protect drivers for being blamed for every accident.

Fear works .. Letting a person know that the driver is licened to kill you if you come in his way.

Some people might not agree with me but can somebody answer this question.

What do you do if you are driving down an expressway at 80km/h and somebody on a bike/ foot just makes a dash?
Two options : either hit him or maneuver engendering your own life.

worst scenario if one of them has to die is it you or the other person.

If any body is following the threads on the forum 'accidents in India ' you will realize a lot of people have lost their life for no fault of theirs or just trying to save some idiot.

all this is fine, but hit and run will also have to be made legal because if you hit a villager, the rest of the village will dispense instant mob justice, you wont make it to court to see if an offence is registered against you or not.