Freeways: A recipe for disaster?

Two residents became the first casualties on the sea link on Tuesday morning. This has brought issues like safety and security on the bridge to the fore. DNA seeks to unearth some lessons from the tragedy.

Let your chauffeur get adequate sleep and rest
Reckless driving is a major reason for mishaps; this is the bitter truth on Indian roads. We can’t blame the drivers alone. Sometimes the driver is preoccupied with other ideas or his skills are affected by lack of sleep. It is common to observe that drivers are relieved late at night. Then we expect them to wake up early to reach our children to school or vehicle owner to office. There is need to reappear driving tests and some refresher lessons every three years. We make a licence at the age of 18. It is renewed when we go to RTO at the age of 45 years, so how can we know if the driver is aware of all the rules and understands the new rules of the city? Apart from all that, people have to learn the discipline on roads and follow it strictly. The idea to deploy traffic police at every place isn’t practical.
— Nitin Dossa, chairman, Western India Automobile Association

Drivers must prove skills before getting on freeway
It will be unfair to say that freeways lead to accidents. When a person is driving on a freeway, then he should have imbibed road safety etiquettes. Motorists don't have traffic etiquettes and drive on freeways like they do on any road. We lack responsibility at the wheel. In some western countries, everyone is not allowed on freeways. A driver has to prove his skills to drive on the motorway only then is he allowed to drive on them. One cannot blame the freeways or safety measures provided, because unless it is the fault of a driver, chances of accidents on a freeway are rare. For the safety measures on the link, CCTV cameras have been installed as they are compulsory on any expressway. The most effective way to monitor traffic is to have vehicular patrolling.
— PS Pasricha, former director general of police, Maharashtra

Lesson for taxis: Seat belts must be mandatory
This accident has highlighted the importance of the seat belt in the four-wheelers, even though it may be a taxi. When many foreigners hire taxis in our country, they can't find a seat belt. This should be corrected. Especially since a large number of accidents take place on Indian roads. The role of RTO is very important. Sometimes the speed limit indicated by the traffic department is not realistic. If they put up a limit of say 30 or 40 kmph, motorists who have to travel for a long distance will not honour it. Hence they must decide a decent speed like say 60 kmph, then there is a possibility that people will understand and respect the threshold. It's not required to deploy traffic officials to check the speed limit. We can install instruments which can read the speed of the vehicles.
— Renuka Kriplani, editor, Autocar Show

Incorporate lane discipline
Let's not generalise or jump to conclusions just because a mishap took place on the sea link. Till now we were all praise for the freeway and now suddenly we cannot criticise or start finding faults with it. There have been instances of accidents happening on many bridges and flyovers in Mumbai or the expressway. So then we shouldn't blame the road, but the driver. So similarly let's learn a lesson from this tragic incident and incorporate better lane discipline and improved driving skills. The installation of CCTV cameras won't help detect the speed and curb traffic violations. Mumbaikars are infamous for always being in a hurry, patience will help a lot. So basically, we need to change our attitude, remain calm and rather than honking and rushing unnecessarily try and gauge the situation and act accordingly.  
—Amita Mehta

Culture of road safety is surely missing among motorists
Freeways are meant for a smooth commute and just because a few people are reckless, we cannot label freeways as a recipe for mishaps. Motorists in this city have a devil-may-care-attitude and driving rashly gives them a kind of ego boost. Motorists feel that they are better than the rest and will manage without a scratch. My experience on the sea link was awesome. But regarding safety measures, I would say that I couldn’t see any direction signs warning of features ahead. I haven’t seen policemen on the bridge monitoring people. Instead of blaming the police or government, people should become vigilant.  
—Puja Kothari

Possibility that collisions can happen even in crawling traffic
While this may have been the first accident on the sea link, accidents are taking place with regular periodicity on the city’s streets. Accidents can take place even when vehicles move at snail’s pace. The impact will be different when two vehicles collide at a great speed. When the sea link was inaugurated, it was announced that the speed limit during the rainy season would be around 50 kmph, whereas during normal days, the speed limit could be 80kmph. But the sign boards shows the 50 kmph limit and this gives the traffic department an excuse to book violators. It’s possible to drive on the sea link at 50 km if you own an old car. With new sports utility vehicles and sedans, authorities should raise the speed limit as a lower speed may cause more accidents.  
—Mahendra Kalantri

Traffic cops must play larger role
There are too many accidents on the roads in Mumbai. Due to the speed limit, accidents are likely to happen on the Bandra-Worli sea link. The reasons for mishaps are not too difficult to fathom. Rash driving, bad state of the roads and failure to follow traffic rules are the main causes. Regional Transport Office (RTO) officials should conduct more stringent tests before giving licences to drivers. Traffic jams have also increased. Even morning walkers are cautioned not to take the main road. More speed breakers should be placed at accident-prone spots to curtail speed. After all the drivers are playing with the lives of pedestrians passing through the way. People should be aware of the rules. The traffic police should guide erring drivers and not merely penalise them to make a quick buck.
—CK Subramaniam

Safeguards are futile, if users continue driving recklessly
Freeways can be dangerous especially in Mumbai, where people are accustomed to driving recklessly. So, on a freeway they go berserk and speed up to the point, where they can’t control their vehicles. Lack of discipline on roads is mainly because motorists refuse to wait and disregard a traffic light. The sea link is a smooth pathway. Barring safety measures like setting of speed limits and proper demarcation of lanes and railings, there is nothing much that can be done on the sea link. The police can install CCTVs, but if motorists refuse to follow basic traffic rules, then no road is safe enough.  
—Gaurav Phanasgaonkar