Team-BHP
(
https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/)
Yesterday while on the Narkanda-Shimla highway, I was cruising along at 40-50kmph on the smooth tarmac towards shimla.
Around a bend I see some commotion, around a temple. I slow down a bit, and as I complete the near blind turn I see a mountain in the middle of the road, and lots of gravel from the DIY work.
The temple guys have constructed a speedbreaker in the middle of the road, and that too a massive one.
Hit the brakes, the car just glides over gravel, hits the bump flies in air and with a bang just hits the road back again. Since we are 4 in the car with luggage, its quite a whack
I curse them silently praying that they die in the next landslide and get down to inspect the damage.
Shake the car and it appears the shocks are okay.
Get under the car and nothing seems bent.
While I am doing that a honda civic comes and brakes in time, and then slowly starts climbing the hump. Right in the middle it see saws(low GC you see), but the guy turns the wheels and with some groans from the undercarriage makes it.
All the while the idiotic morons are grinning.
The car is not completely unscathed though.
At idle the vibrations have increased significantly. I suspect that the engine mounts would need a change.
I also feel a thud in the front suspension, but the shocks don't seem broken and handling is okay too.
After that we drove to chd-Ludhiana-Delhi, and the car is fine except for the vibrations.
Luckily I did not snap the low hanging power steering or the Alternator pulley system.
At the rear end one of the mud flaps fell down, and the other one is loose.
A foot high speedbreaker in the middle of a national highway :Frustrati.
They have also left 10 feet long stretch of loose sand all around it so that if you try to slow down you just skid.
I pity those souls who are traveling on the highway at night. Esp the bikers who frequent the Shimla-Rampur-Kaza stretch.
There are too many of these in many parts of the country. Saw a letter to editor by a doctor saying these are bad for back even if the vehicle takes it slowly. Of course, deadly if you miss it because most are unmarked, unpainted. They are designed to hurt even at low speeds.
Some are put up by shops/restaurants nearby to force customers to look at them. Some are justifiable reactions to over-speeding morons mowing down kids and others on the village streets (aka Indian highways) traveling at 120kmph (and boasting about it in online forums). Some are not. We never know.
Same with the road to kalahasti from NH5. There were umpteen number of huge speed breakers with no proper signs or markings. It was difficult to spot even in daylight and i bet nobody could spot it at night unless they are regulars on that route.
bangalore to mysore has 3-4 of them, Completly designed, sponsored and executed by the Villagers themselves and they fight against the Road authorities against removing them. they are so un-scientific that even trucks slow down for them, Forget about the cars who miss to sight them!!
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