More EPE commuters breach 120kmph speed limit: data from speed detection system

NEW DELHI: More number of commuters using the Eastern Peripheral Expressway (EPE) passing through the NCR breach 120kmph speed limit compared to Mumbai-Pune Expressway and Hyderabad Outer Ring Road (ORR), the two other high-speed corridors. According to the sample observation of traffic for 30 days using speed enforcement detection devices across these stretches, nearly 2% drivers on EPE drove at more than 120kmph, followed by Hyderabad ORR (1.3%) and Mumbai-Pune Expressway (1%).
The data was shared by Ravin Mirchandani, chairman of Ador, at a conference organised by the Highway Operators Association of India (HAOI) early this week. The company has deployed speed enforcement systems on these three high-speed corridors for the road owning agencies and police. Currently, the maximum speed limit for cars is 120kmph on expressways and 100kmph on national highways (NHs). Mirchandani said the traffic volume sample was of the same 30 days on the three road stretches.
Another interesting finding from the sample was how a large number of vehicles plying on the EPE didn’t comply with the standard for registration number plate, which is crucial for deploying modern systems to collect toll amount without fixing any physical barrier or gate. One can spot vehicle owners putting names, signs or mentioning something extra on the number plates. “Even the best cameras you put for automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) can’t read them accurately. That’s a huge challenge. You find such violations are more in the case of government vehicles, particularly those attached to the police departments,” said a transport sector analyst.
The data also showed that women have a minuscule share of 1% of the drivers who speed on roads beyond the permissible limit. According to the analysis, though less than 1% vehicles exhibit extreme speed behaviour, above 149kmph and up to 249kmph.
The sample observation also highlighted how there is rampant lane violation even on high-speed corridors. It was found that such violations are more on the right lane (47%), meaning more heavy and slow moving vehicles were found playing on the extreme right side of the carriageway. One can often find trucks driving on the extreme right lane, violating rules, while the law specifies that such heavy and slow moving vehicles must be on the extreme left lane.