The announcement, which comes in the wake of multiple accidents, has drawn unanimous criticism from experts and motorists alike
Bikers are banned from using JJ flyover, which has many sharp turns. File Pic
Motorists on four wheels will have to pay the price for bikers flouting the rules. Following two fatal accidents in quick succession on JJ flyover - all involving motorcycles, despite the ban on bikes - the traffic police have capped the speed of cars on the flyover at 30 kmph. Speedcams have been installed and those flouting the speed limit will get an e-challan for Rs 200.
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The decision to install the speedcams comes on the heels of two fatal accidents on JJ flyover in the past week alone. Cops are maintaining utmost secrecy about the location and number of cameras, but according to sources, there will be four cameras monitoring vehicular movement on the bridge.
JJ flyover's sharp turns can be hard to manoeuvre for speeding vehicles
This is the first time traffic department is introducing a speed restriction on the flyover since it was opened to the public in 2001. Despite a ban on two-wheelers using JJ flyover, bikers get on the bridge nevertheless. JJ flyover is notorious for its curves, which bikers are often unable to handle, resulting in accidents.
Bikers ignore cops
The traffic department has posted a constable and a traffic warden on each end of the bridge to stop bikers, but the speed demons merely accelerate and race past the officers, putting the cops and other motorists at risk.
"From 7 am till late in the night, we have always posted personnel there to stop bikers, but they still sneak on to flyover. It's dangerous for the cops to try and stop them at such high speeds," said a traffic police officer.
"Due to sharp turns on the flyover, not only bikers, but even those driving four-wheelers at high speeds have lost control. To overcome this, we had to either take help of technology or increase our manpower at the flyover. As latter is impractical, we decided to embrace technology and install cameras," added the officer.
Speed cameras have been installed at strategic locations, including the entry and exit points. The devices will not only monitor vehicles' speed, but also issue e-challans in fractions of a second to any motorist who crosses the speed limit.
Copspeak
Amitesh Kumar, joint commissioner of police (Traffic), said, "It will take another week to get the system up and running. The speed limit will be 30 kmph on the entire 2.5-km flyover."
When asked whether the speed limit will result in traffic jams during rush hour, he said, "Traffic will keep moving smoothly. Normally, traffic is held up when people try to overtake, or when there is an accident. But if everyone is moving at the same speed, there is no point to overtaking," he said.
Also read: Mumbai: Biker teen dies in second fatality in five days on JJ Flyover
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