Chennai: Gravel near Kathipara flyover a trap for two-wheelers

CHENNAI: Road work on Anna Salai near the Kathipara flyover has turned the 300-metre stretch into a ‘skidding hazard’ for two-wheelers. As part of re-laying operations, the top layer of the road has been removed, and loose gravel still remains and has been catching motorists off guard for the last two days. On Tuesday night, this reporter had to slam the brakes hard near the Le Meridien Hotel to avoid hitting a two-wheeler rider ahead who had just skidded and fallen.

While the victim, P Elango, a software professional, escaped with minor scratches from the impact of the fall, he could have very easily been run over. “The road conditions deteriorated suddenly and I lost control,” he said.

When contacted, a senior official in the Highways Department  said the remnants of the top surface (gravel) are usually removed. “We will remove the gravel immediately and make sure such situations to not repeat,” he said.

Why do two-wheelers skid while applying brakes on gravel/wet surfaces? Once the brakes are applied, the tyres are unable to grip the surface. Unable to control the inertia, the bike skids.

According to S Gladwin, a bike mechanic, “Riders should apply brakes progressively and not hit the brakes hard to avoid skidding.” The anti-brake locking system (ABS) and combined braking system (CBS) have been proven to reduce motorcycle skidding by controlling the brake pressure and preventing wheel lock-up.

The two-wheeler manufacturing industry has been given time till April 2019 to ensure that all two-wheelers below 125-cc engine capacity are fitted with CBS and two-wheelers above 125 cc are fitted with ABS.