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First Pune, Now Noida- Expensive Tyre Killers Installed And Removed After A Day

byAditi Balsaver
11th January 2019
2 minute read
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A few weeks ago, Gujarat vowed to inflict a lifetime ban on those caught driving on the wrong side of the road twice. Now it is Noida authorities who are in the news for making a move against impertinent drivers. Alas, they first installed ‘tyre killers’ and subsequently removed them in a lackadaisical effort.

Wondering what these are?

Tyre killers are essentially metal strips that act as a speed breaker for those driving on the right side. But if one is driving on the wrong side, then its spring-operated spikes puncture the tyres of vehicles. Designed to take a vehicle load of up to 40 tonnes, they cost about Rs. 17,000 per meter.

It all started when Police officials recognized five major points where the wrong side driving is the most common in Noida. They then sought to put an end to the risk of accidents caused by such driving. They installed a tyre killer on the roads between Sector 74 and 77. Other identified areas are the Sector 16A flyover, Sai Mandir U-Turn at Sector 16 and Sector 77 North Eye junction.

They placed the first tyre killer across 11 meters on one side of the road with signage that saying ‘Savdhan Tyre Killer!’ Here’s a closer look at before and after pictures of the installation-

It is a pity that the tyre killers were found broken a couple of days following the installation.

Image source

This tweeted video shows the derelict state of the tyre killers as well as the threat to commuters it poses-

The authorities suspect vandals. According to HT, Rajeev Tyagi, general manager, Noida authority shared-

“We had stationed one person to watch the road through the day. We have been told that the tyre killers were pulled out when the official left the spot for half an hour in the morning. It will be fixed using bitumen by Tuesday night.”

However, the residents believe otherwise. The vulnerability of the contraption’s design has them doubt whether it shall adversely impact vehicular safety. Some residents said it was a shabby job done by the authority that led to them dismantling within a day. Others said the design of the spikes may hurt the base of vehicles.

“The spikes are hitting the underbody of vehicles with lower ground clearance. This is improper design and will hurt even vehicles going in the right direction.”

“Authorities should fine traffic offenders or suspend their driving license and not jeopardize the lives of commuters,” said Bharat Yadav, a resident of Sector 121.

Early last year, Pune became the first city to install such tyre killers. However, they were removed later in the week, just as they have been in Noida.

“Removing them and calling it a failure within a day is not a solution. Those who break the law will always protest a good move like this.

“But these are very important in a city like Noida where multiple penalties and enforcement does not seem to work,” Soumya Singh, a resident of Sector 77, rightly said reports HT.

We quite agree. Don’t you?

Cover Image Credit 1, 2

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