Markers of road safety now bent and broken

Sunday, Jan 30, 2011




Dull and worn out bollards (plastic dividers), broken or bent by reckless drivers, are a common sight on the road. In a city that is infamous for its drivers who are unmindful of traffic rules, the civic neglect of these bollards — key for lane driving and traffic regulation — mirrors the devil-may-care attitude towards lane discipline and its importance.

Commuters complain that most bollards are not visible from a distance as the reflective surface has either worn off or become dull due to pollution and dust. These are now just ugly stumps on the road, which are neither removed nor replaced by agencies concerned for months, say commuters. Nakashi Choudhury, a commuter, said, "Bollards are a good idea but people rarely follow lane discipline. They go zig-zag and suddenly swerve to a different lane. As a result, the car behind is many times forced to enter the wrong lane. Every day I see drivers going over the traffic bollards."

Joint commissioner of police (traffic) Satyendra Garg said, "Drivers need to be more civic-conscious and should not need to be watched in order to follow simple rules. We try asking for a replacement of these damaged bollards at the earliest as these are essential for lane discipline and traffic management. We count these damaged bollards as operational losses. We usually ask for a replacement from the government agency responsible for the particular road."

Senior traffic officials claimed that unless the matter is pursued vigorously, these bollards are not replaced for a long time. Lack of signages to indicate lane segregation is another cause for confusion among commuters. A senior traffic officer admitted, "The quality of bollards is sometimes not very good, as they fast lose their reflective surface and are not visible from a distance. We can definitely look into this and come up with a better alternative. People also need to be more responsible. They take short cuts and even if we insist on putting signages, they do not want to follow lane discipline. There are very few law-abiding citizens."

In Delhi, usually slim fluorescent orange plastic bollards are used to segregate traffic at traffic signals for safe delineation system useful for motorways and busy arterial roads. These bollards, being malleable, can give way on minimum impact, bouncing back in case a vehicle runs over them. However, due to frequent wear and tear, most of these break and hardly serve as a deterrent for drivers. On stretches such as Mathura Road, Subramaniam Bharti Road and BRT corridor, broken bollards are a common sight.

But according to traffic cops, using concrete or steel bollards is a bad idea. "Using concrete bollards on road will only cause more accidents and damage. There could be any reason for overshooting a lane. If a vehicle rams into a concrete bollard, it can lead to a pile-up. Lane driving is desirable, but risking people's lives is not a solution," said a senior traffic officer.

Both temporary and permanent bollards serve several functions — such as channeling traffic, diversions, closures and semiclosures — to improve the safety and flow of traffic. Flexible bollards can also be used to create AM/PM contra-flow lanes on bridges and separate lanes to prevent dangerous manoeuvres.

Original news source http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/Markers-of-road-safety-now-bent-and-broken/articleshow/7388587.cms