UT’s experiment 'rumble strips' a stumbling block for cyclists

What was conceived to be a facility has rather become a source of tremendous harassment for city commuters. The 'experiment' conducted by the UT engineering department to set up rumble strips and median gaps at the Sector 30-20-19-27 roundabout seems to have fallen flat.

The rumble strips and gaps made in the median on all four sides of the intersection has become a roadblock for commuters. The department had come up with the idea to provide an easy and safe passage for cycles and rickshaws to cross the road. Such is the inconvenience being caused by the rumble strips that cyclists and rickshaw pullers are seen waiting for the faster vehicles to give way.

"I have a back problem. Everytime I pass this roundabout, my problem aggravates, due to the sudden jerks of rumble strips. I do not know whose brain child this is," an aggrieved commuter, Sant Kumar Jain, resident of Sector 44, said.

He added that the rumble strips should be replaced with normal speed breakers. "It is a failure. It is not only a source of inconvenience for commuters, but also causes damage to vehicles. This certainly should not be replicated anywhere in the city," he added.

Most cyclists are of a similar opinion. Som Nath, a Panchkula resident who works in Sector 19, Chandigarh, said that the entire system should be removed, and instead traffic light signals should be installed.

"I feel safer to cross the road from a roundabout with traffic signals rather than this setup. It has happened several times that while crossing the road, speeding vehicles have almost hit me. There is no point in such a path, when ultimately we have to stop to give way to motor vehicles," Som Nath added.

While talking to Chandigarh Newsline, a police official, who assists traffic at the roundabout, said that the experiment was a hindrance to the cyclists and traffic constables. "These rumble strips and median are often used by scooterists to avoid a U-turn," he added.

... contd.

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