[hkanitkar]

There are few things i would like to bring to your notice here. These facts were stated in an interview with the Designers of the Expressway ( aired about 2 years back on DD1 )

1. The design of Pune-Mumbai expressway has been initially carried out with the maximum speed @ 120Kmph. So the safe limit ( dividing the max limit by factor of safety ) comes to 100Kmph.
If there is larger volume of vehicles traveling at speeds at this limit, the wearing off for the surface would be so fast that half the expressway would have to be closed for maintenance at any point of time in an year.

2. The initial speed limit was set to 80Kmph till 2004. It was supposed to be revised to 100Kmph. But taking into account the no. of accidents that took place on the expressway, the limit is still held at 80Kmph. And with the 'discipline' that we ( not blaming anyone here, but using a generalized term ) show regarding traffic rules, it is best to keep it at 80Kmph.

There is a thought from some experts in this field that increasing the speed limit may reduce the no. of accidents - but somehow this is very difficult to understand, with all different POVs that we have.

IMHO, the speed limit should be increased to 100Kmph but it should be complemented with equally strict enforcement of the same.

[bhp]

Originally Posted by Rtech

Does anyone notice the Police Sumo stationed just after we take the sharp left under the old overpass, just before the Khandala tunnel (en route from Mumbai to Pune). Those cops seem to be after Sumo's and those sort of vehicles. What do they catch them for?? Too many passengers?

the cops are after them as there are too many passengers...those private sumo s qualis tavera s are used as tourist vehicles and they also sometimes carry illegal cargo...

[diabloo]

Speed limit:
Some say 120. Some say 100. But what should be the speed limit? Speed limit is set by Traffic Police. They will consider the road conditions and traffic situation and set the speed limit. Surely they can't set the limit on daily basis. They might do it once or twice an year. When they set the limit, it stands till next revision. Road users must not analyze the situation and set the limit themselves. US of A with such good roads and with such powerful machines has set 60~80mph as maximum speed limit. Even though ExpressHighway is good, 50mph is not bad in our country.
Reference:
1. Speed limits in the United States - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Police bravery:
The police was issuing receipt for the amount paid. He was doing his duty. He saw the speed of the car in his radar gun and still he wanted to stop the car by all means. Though its comparitively smaller offence, he risked his life. We have to compliment that.

Originally Posted by spadival

Whats wrong with that speed??? Why do they collect Rs78 from me as toll tax and god knows how much in form of income/road tax, so that they can build a 6 lane expressway?

In the end, if I am forced to drive @ 80kmph, I would be more than happy to do it on a single carriageway, i.e the old Pune-Mumbai highway.. Whats the point of wasting MY money on building an expressway with an absurd speed limit !!

And I wish the cops were equally brave in catching hardened criminals/thugs/murderers instead of risking their life by jumping around in the middle of an express way.. Probably, THEN I would take my hat off to them (Not that I have any hats in the first place).

Originally Posted by razor4077

I respect your viewpoint. Most, if not all of us would agree that there should be some speed limit, and this should be adhered to.
However, as some have already expressed, the speed limits that are set should be more realistic in nature. 80 kph on a beautiful road like the Pune-Mum expressway is a plain stupid rule.
As for the US, 70 mph = 112 kph, which is more like it for a good highway/expressway.

Originally Posted by amtak

2 points to your statement:

1) When the expressway was built, I can say that we didn't have good quality or Expressway quality tires for all cars. We have them now...Also, the drivers are well informed of how to drive on these roads. Over the last few years, the accidents on the freeways or expressways have been quite less apart from the BIIIIIIG LORRIES!

2) I would say that a cop jumping into the middle of the road and trying to stop a car is utter stupidity. As someone said that they should you alarms and lights to stop the vehicle.What if you are NOT able to stop the car in time? the Newpapers get a headline, a Cop runover by a rich driver (no matter what the truth is)

PS: these are my personal views and do not mean to offend anyone. I respect the HUMAN ELEMENT and SAFETY First is my motto. Going FAST does not mean that you are RASH.

[normally_crazy]

I heard yesterday - the cops were also carrying out breath analyser tests on the expressway. Can anyone confirm ?

[manjubp]

Originally Posted by diabloo

Speed limit:
Some say 120. Some say 100. But what should be the speed limit? Speed limit is set by Traffic Police. They will consider the road conditions and traffic situation and set the speed limit. Surely they can't set the limit on daily basis. They might do it once or twice an year. When they set the limit, it stands till next revision. Road users must not analyze the situation and set the limit themselves. US of A with such good roads and with such powerful machines has set 60~80mph as maximum speed limit. Even though ExpressHighway is good, 50mph is not bad in our country.
Reference:
1. Speed limits in the United States - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Police bravery:
The police was issuing receipt for the amount paid. He was doing his duty. He saw the speed of the car in his radar gun and still he wanted to stop the car by all means. Though its comparitively smaller offence, he risked his life. We have to compliment that.

I can't agree anything better. The speed limit is based on the over all capabilities of our Indian cars/vehicles. I understand most of us (read team-bhp members, or US/Europe returns) knows/understands/appreciate the safety and speed limits. But it is also required to note that we are the minority on our indian roads/expressways. There are whole bunch of junk drivers and vehicles to be junked on roads , and speed limit is decided mostly considering them, as they are majority.

regards,
-manju

[spadival]

Originally Posted by diabloo

Police bravery:
The police was issuing receipt for the amount paid. He was doing his duty. He saw the speed of the car in his radar gun and still he wanted to stop the car by all means. Though its comparitively smaller offence, he risked his life. We have to compliment that.

He is risking not only his life, but the life of other road users on the expressway. I will certainly not compliment a fool who risks his own life and that of others on the road, for a relatively minor offense. I dont think its standard practice in any other country for cops to jump around on an expressway..Its downright foolish.

[risga]

What say fellows, authorities should impose a minimum speed limit for the middle and centre lanes @ 50 Kmph. Anybody driving below that speed should be fined as this could also be a cause for accidents.

The way the traffic department fixed speed limits is not consistent. For most streets in Mumbai, the speed limit is 60 Kmph, and 50 Kmph on most flyovers.

Given the vast difference, between the chaotic Mumbai city streets and the access controlled express-way, the speed limit ought to be way way higher than 80 kmph. Probably 120 Kmph seems to be a good idea.

[Akshay1234]

Originally Posted by normally_crazy

I heard yesterday - the cops were also carrying out breath analyser tests on the expressway. Can anyone confirm ?

i was on the expressway at about 4. i didnt see even one cop forget breath analyzers. maybe they were there in the night.

diabloo - that is not poilce bravery. its stupidity. if anything, they should take the registration numbers and catch them at the toll nakas or at the exits.

[deepakvrao]

The cops should instead try to regulate the trucks driving in the fast lane, the bullock carts, bicycles and tractors that drive on the wrong side of the road [in the fast lane - because they then think that they are on the left of the road]. We actually have this in plenty on the new freeways like Bangalore-Madras, Bangalore-Belgaum, Bangalore-Mysore etc.

They also have no posted limits and I often do 120-130 and find that it feels reasonably safe if the roads are good and you don't have dangerous lunatics like above.

Mostly I tick to 11-120 but I also feel that in a decent car and with good roads the limit could be raised way above th 80 thats on the Bom-Pune road.

OTOH countries like Australia with great roads and good discipline have limits between 50-80 on many roads with often a ZERO tolerance level.

[diabloo]

Did speeding cops put Dutt at risk to evade media?-India-The Times of India

The speed limit doesn't apply to Police vans ferrying the convicts. Seem so from the above article. There are reports that the Police van did 140Kmph when the speed limit for van is 60kmph

[tsk1979]

Actually Traffic police is no authority to set speed limits. Speed limits should be set using a traffic safety survey by qualified Road engineers. These are peoples with degrees and experience in road design, traffic safety etc.,
What is the qualification of a COP? General knowledge for IPS exams and physical fitness?
Would you trust a cop to prescribe you medicenes for a heart condition?

when you have traffic speed limit set by cops, you get 50kmph limits on 6 lane and 8 lane roads.

When it is said that a road is designed to carry traffic safely at 120kmph, why speed limit of 100/80. Setting a speed limit lower than road design means inefficiency.

such is the craziness of speed limits in India, that after Karnal toll gates there is a stretch where limit changes from 90 to 50 back to 90 to 50 and then again to 90 in a span of 2 kms.
Little boards indicate the change, and are easy to miss at 90 in the day, and impossible to spot in the night. When Haryana police get enough Radar's they will sit behind these boards and earn revenues claiming safety as the cause, and every few days like always you will have a dead car owner who while following the speed limit hit a tractor in the fast lane head on, or hit a parked truck on the highway because it had no tail lights, and oncoming glare made him miss the truck.
The tractor driver the truck driver will always go scot free, because they are not a source of revenue.
So when you have laws made to harrass a certain class of people those laws lose their legality as well as justification.

[rocksterraghu]

Originally Posted by deepakvrao

The cops should instead try to regulate the trucks driving in the fast lane, the bullock carts, bicycles and tractors that drive on the wrong side of the road [in the fast lane - because they then think that they are on the left of the road]. We actually have this in plenty on the new freeways like Bangalore-Madras, Bangalore-Belgaum, Bangalore-Mysore etc.

They also have no posted limits and I often do 120-130 and find that it feels reasonably safe if the roads are good and you don't have dangerous lunatics like above.

Mostly I tick to 11-120 but I also feel that in a decent car and with good roads the limit could be raised way above th 80 thats on the Bom-Pune road.

I heard the Bangalore-Mysore road is designed for a speed of 120kmph. However, the BMIC that is almost complete can take over 180 or 200 kmph AFAIK.

OT: Have you been on the BMIC? I heard they have fencing to avoid pedestrians and animals and it is a straight 8-lane highway.

[AkMar]

Originally Posted by Rtech

Another odd loophole is the Tata ACE. Although 3 wheelers are not allowed, the ACE, being a 4-wheeler, can happily drive along the expressway even though it is really not fast enough to be allowed on it.

Yeah. This will be a nice loop hole. Even Force has come out with a 4 wheeler cargo vehicle which has same engine as a 6 seater Auto rickshaw. Now imagine that going on the expressway!! Tata Ace is much better compared to the Force vehicle

[ghodlur]

Recently I made a trip from Thane to Pune via the Expressway in my Fiesta. I maintained a steady city limits speed of 60-65 Kmph till the start of expressway and then I accelerated to 80-85 Kmph on the expressway. I knew the max speed limit was 80 and tried to maintain that. I normally occupy the middle lane so that I can drive steady although the urge to go beyond speed limts was very much there but controlled it. How often do we do that. I mean esp on the expressway where you get stretches on open driving lanes. I have seen even Santro's, Wagon R's and even Maruti 800 go beyond the speed limits.
The other day I saw a Tavera negotiating a hair pin bend at approx 80 Kmph when the actual speed limt at that section was 40. These guys endanger themselves and other vehicle too. There is one section just before Khandala on the expressway where there are two seperate lanes for heavy and light vehicles. Inadverently you see the exact reverse happening. The heavy vehicle enter the light vehicle lane and vice versa. The other too familiar sight is the Volvo buses changing lanes at their will and dont even maintain the speed limits when doing so.
I fail to understand the mentality here. You have good road, good car and still you drive with a sense of insecurity as to what lies ahead for you.

[Abhay]

I generally drive around the 90-100 mark on the E-Way (just what I normally cruise at on empty roads) so to answer your question - I do not follow the speed limit (of 80kph).

Do I feel I am driving too fast and endangering others by doing 10kph above the limit? No.
I feel the limit is too low for modern cars and should be 90/100kph. I stay in the middle lane and try to overtake only in the 3rd lane (unless someone is intent on blocking that lane and sticking to the 80 limit as well).