SPEED breakers are quite common around the world as methods to prevent overspeeding. In a residential neighbourhood a speed-breaker is the best way to ensure that speeding is curbed without too much investment.

For all their faults, they serve their purpose effectively as long as they are made properly. Pakistan has poorly enforced traffic laws. The narrower the road, the more residential the area, the less likely it is that anyone will follow the 20km-an- hour speed limits. The main idea is to resuce the speed so that roads are safer.

School and college areas, housing colonies, etc., are accident-prone. A kid running across the street can get killed because of speeding there. Speed bumps or speed-breakers can solve this problem effectively.

It has been observed that there have been frequent minor accidents near Islamia University, Bahawalpur, Old Campus (University Chowk ) road and newly-established Women University at Bahawalpur. As different types of vehicles, including those of the two universities, ply from both directions on this road at high speed, thereby posing a threat to the lives of pedestrians (students), particularly in the early morning and at noon.

Further, there is no constable to control traffic, nor is there any arrangement for traffic signal. A senior citizen living on the college road said: “It is impossible to walk on the road as vehicles ply at great speed. I myself had a narrow escape on several occasions. Many of my friends have stopped going out for an evening walk as they fear getting hit by a vehicle.”

The authorities concerned should set up speed-breakers at critical points of the University chowk , as well as on Women’s University main road.

Tariq Mahmood Shaikh
Bahawalpur

Published in Dawn, December 17th, 2014