[TusharK]

The fine for speeding on the Mumbai-Pune expressway has been doubled. Now, if you're caught speeding on the e-way, be prepared to shell out a fine of Rs. 2,000.



The revised penalty seems to have come into effect following the implementation of the Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Act 2019. Under the new law, compounding fees for traffic offences have been hiked with the aim to ensure discipline among road users.

The speed limit for light motor vehicles (LMVs) and heavy vehicles is 100 km/h and 80 km/h, respectively. However, on accident-prone stretches of the highway, all vehicles have to adhere to a lower speed limit.

Besides speeding, the authorities have also been cracking down errant drivers to enforce lane discipline.

Link to Team-BHP News

[paragsachania]

Whether it was increase in penalties or better implementation to impart erring drivers, there for sure has been a positive improvement in the way people drive on this expressway now. The number of bullies who sneak besides you from a narrow gap and overtake you from the shoulder or someone driving at breakneck speeds from the rest have reduced too.

Trucks and buses were never a major irritant on this expressway, except the section along Lonavala-Khandala, especially towards Pune where I sympathize them, thanks to the gradient. In rest of the sections they all mostly mind their business and play around on Lane 1 and Lane 2 only instead of hogging all the lanes.

Whenever I have driven on this expressway, either when coming from Bangalore or Gujarat, I have dropped my speeds to 90-100 kmph throughout or may be lesser at few sections. The risk of a major crash involving multiple vehicles is way too high on this expressway than the regular highways due to the sheer density of traffic in certain sections. Trucks and buses easily manage 80 while cars cruise at 90-100 and all the 3 lanes are mostly occupied. So you can pretty much imagine what happens when even 2 vehicles get involved in an accident. Then, there is this paranoia of your car's brakes being inadequate to handle emergency braking, especially when the surface is wet and it is raining on concrete road.

I find Talegaon to Lonavala and Khalapur to Panvel the safest stretches on this highway due to the horizon that these sections offer in terms of visibility. Hence, you won't find density of traffic in these sections compared to the rest where drivers need to be very careful of curves and how long trailers and trucks have tough time sticking to their lanes while negotiating them.

All said and done, the increase in penalties is a welcome move. I have always liked the fact that the authorities get themselves involved in various drives and events and awareness campaigns here on quite a frequent and regular basis only to make the highway safer for road users instead of other tactics employed elsewhere (Traffic cops waiting at the Khalapur toll is now common even through the night but that is for a different reason as we all know).

[Reinhard]

There was a news about huge sum collected in fines on this very road just some days ago. And now a further increase, which isn't synced up with general fines elsewhere.
So in a nutshell, are we all bad drivers with no regard for the law or the authorities should have some sense and set correct speed limits appropriate to the area in question?

I have 1 speeding ticket in my life - and it is on this ill-famed "express" way. For driving at 67kmph in an area with 60kmph limit. Where? On the straight slope towards Khopoli, where if you don't press any pedal - the car reaches 130+ easily with just gravity. The authorities should be rewarding me for actually applying brakes to drive so slow (while taking the risk of being tail-gated!)

Almost all the 60/80 speed limit signs on this road are on stretches that are straight as an arrow for at least 2-4 kms. Funny.

Almost everywhere in Konkan region - after a massive slope or tunnel exit - there is a hidden sign of 40, behind some large tree, followed by the infamous Ertigas with speed-guns. Sad to see the authorities running this kind of a business. I'm totally for sensible speed limits and I always follow whatever is the marker. But this state has gone somewhere beyond shameless now.

Its a state that makes probably the worst roads in the country. Rather than fixing the damaged portions it simply puts rumble strips and even slower speed limit signs. I don't know why the ministry is pushing so much for flex fuel! The hon'ble (?) minister should visit MH (his native state) for enlightenment.

1. Another 2-3 cms deeper and all potholes in western MH are going to reach large oil reserves of our own.
2. Another 2-3 cms taller in the so called "repair" patches (which are a continuous chain of 1sqft patches even overlapping each other rather than a proper flat area fix) - are going to be high enough to mount wind turbines to make electricity to charge EVs.

MH I suspect is the state with the highest number of "Go Slow" / "Accident zone ahead" / "Dangerous Turn Ahead" / "Highway crossing ahead" signs. Amusing that people create these dangerous turns and then put these signs. Why not design the road safer instead? Sigh...

[jalsa777]

There are so many problems with road and signage design, it's not even funny.

• There are sections of this "expressway" which have speed limits of just 65kmph.
• There are multiple different speed sign boards at very short distances at some places
• Police cars with speed guns deliberately stand at places which have such confusing signage to catch unsuspecting drivers.

At least have a decent implementation of speed limits. This is just loot.
My dad got fined for driving at 88 kmph on a perfectly straight part of the expressway where the supposed limit was 65 kmph. On our next trip, we observed that there was a large sign of 100kmph and then within a few hundred meters a very small sign of a different design saying 65 kmph. Some distance later, it was again 80kmph. So, technically they were not wrong, but this is not how it's supposed to be done. And try driving at 65 kmph there, i would be afraid of someone rear-ending me!

[sunny29584]

I agree with the above points. Fines are fine if the speed limit boards are well placed and clear.

I have observed multiple speed limit for single stretch of straight road which maybe due to old (speed limits) board of 80kmph not being removed.

Also I feel increasing fine should be backed by easier, better and faster resolution to wrong fines.

[Abhikumar629]

I support discipline but the fine amount and the ingenious techniques applied by police to siphon money from ones pocket will soon compel people to go on a revolution against their employers to add traffic fine as a component in their CTC.

[govindremesh]

This looks like a knee jerk reaction. IMO, there are two things that should be fixed:
1. Unreasonably slow speed limits where roads are good.
2. An incremental speeding fine system where the most severe penalty is suspension of license (withdrawal if the speeding has lead to a major accident).

Otherwise, what prevents anyone in a nice (probably German) car to fly down at 160 kmph+ ? INR 2000 would be peanuts for people who can buy cars that can do that kind of speeds- which I guess most 10 lakh + cars can safely do.

[TROOPER]

Anyone who thinks the speeding fines are only for the greater good and safety of the public is being naive.

The way these speed limit boards are placed on the expressway is farcical. 80 100 80 within couple hundred meters of each other. Expressway is not the only place I have observed this. Was driving on the Bangalore Mangalore highway and saw 60 & 80 signboards within 10-20 feet of each other.

Plus cops seem to be conveniently seated in their UVs at the end of a sloping section or a flyover.

If our authorities were so much concerned about safety, first they would fix the damn roads. And not hand out driving licences to every tom dick and harry. One can only imagine what happens with the collected fines. Just another legal loot.

And the Maharashtra govt needs to get its head out of the sand and give a hard look at its highways. Normal national highways in its neighbouring states makes the expressway look substandard. The expressway feels suddenly premium, is because you’re driving on and through absolute chaos before and after it.

OT:
Just me or are the repaired sections being laid on the expressway absolutely bone jarring to drive on?

[SDP]

As per my understanding, this is NOT specific to Mumbai Pune Expressway.
New set of fines are applicable all over since 12th Dec I believe.

Just 2 days back, I missed a signal in Thane and got a fine of 500 Rs. For missing a signal, the fine is now 500 Rs for first instance and 1500 Rs from second instance onwards.

For driving without a licence, the fine is 5000 Rs now for first violation.

Had clicked a pic of the new fines. Let me see if I can find it and attach here

[Venky03]

Originally Posted by Reinhard

I'm totally for sensible speed limits and I always follow whatever is the marker. But this state has gone somewhere beyond shameless now.

Totally agree with this, went on a trip via NH60 a week ago and the speed limit signs were not even separated by a few meters; they were placed besides each other ranging from 100-80-60, do they expect us to brake from 100 to 60 on a straight patch of a national highway?

Spotted three Ertiga interceptors and one Scorpio interceptor along the way hiding conveniently near straight patches and slopes. I'm not against the use of modern tech; but if you're employing the use of technology there should be a robust grievance system in place first.

And the roads obviously are nightmares, potholes would be an understatement; there are craters on the road. As a frequent traveler on NH66 I've witnessed the expansion; it took years for the expansion and just one monsoon to ruin all of that; now they're patching it up and this cycle will continue for years.

[NiInJa]

I welcome the fines set for overspeeding, BUT the problem is with signage. There are not enough signboards stating speed limits are changing from say 100 kmph to 60kmph, then there are fines for cars exceeding the speed limit by just 2 or 3kmph unknowingly on gradients. I myself have been a victim, was unknowingly doing 63 kmph instead of 60 kmph. I see a lot of people posting such incidents on facebook.

[R2D2]

This is a timely update for us drivers I am planning to travel to KA next week to spend NYE with my in-laws. The MH TD had issued 2 speeding challans to me in Feb (family emergency) for being 5 kmph and about 7 kmph (2nd challan) over the limit. And this for the first time in over 37 years of driving. So a Rs 2K speeding fine will certainly act as a damper on the right foot just as it should.

The penalty for DUI mentioned on the flex banner is awesome. Hope this discourages drivers from putting themselves and others at risk

[Reinhard]

Originally Posted by TROOPER

Just me or are the repaired sections being laid on the expressway absolutely bone jarring to drive on?

Its not just you. That was my immediate reaction when one of the resurfaced lanes was opened recently. Its much worse than how it was. This road is a disgrace to the word "road". Pathetic work quality for the toll amount that we are paying.

[tushar_j]

For Mumbai-Pune Expressway, the workaround which every driver I know uses is - speed all they want, then at one of the food plazas, take a break which exceeds about 30+ mins. So when you reach the 2nd toll, the timing does not indicate that the driver has oversped.

[IamNikhil]

Authorities are just busy coming up with innovative machinations to generate more revenue by hook or by crook. There are stretches on the route where speed limit boards are absent, but you'll routinely find the infamous Ertiga (speed gun mounted) ready for a Kodak moment.

I do agree that zigzag and notorious driving has considerably reduced on the Expressway, but you'll routinely still spot dark-tinted Innovas and Fortuners driving at a breakneck speed and cutting across lanes like absolute maniacs. Surely these political jokers don't care about accumulation of fines or whatever, but that's a different story.

Point being, fines act as deterrents for commoners like us, who anyway were always conscious of speed limits and drove responsibly. It's appalling that people get fined for doing 2 kmph more than the so-called "prescribed speed limit" when there is zero governmental focus on improving road infrastructure and making sure traffic signboards remain sacrosanct instead of being hidden behind bushes and political hoardings!