Saturday, 22 February 2025 | PNS | DEHRADUN
In view of recent frequent road accidents in Dehradun, the Transport department has decided to set speed limits on accident-prone roads and reduce the maximum speed limit on certain routes. The move comes as part of an effort to enhance road safety and prevent further loss of lives in Dehradun. A car accident led to the death of six youths near ONGC Chowk on November 11, 2024. After that, multiple accidents were reported on the same route. Besides this, similar incidents also occurred on various roads of the city, highlighting the risks of overspeeding.
The department issued around 6,700 challans for overspeeding in 2024 but road accidents continue to be a major concern this year as well. The regional transport officer (Enforcement) of Dehradun division, Shailesh Tiwari said that the department will conduct a thorough study to assess traffic flow and vehicle speed at different times of the day to tackle this issue. Based on this analysis, speed limits will be revised and certain roads will have separate speed restrictions for day and night. Tiwari stated that roads that have been widened in past few months but still have lower speed limits will see an increase in permissible speed based on practical considerations. He also informed that some bypasses and major roads have a maximum speed limit of 30 kilometre per hour for four wheelers, while other routes with higher speed limits have seen an increase in accidents.
To ensure compliance, the department will install speed limit sign boards across the city. Violators will be penalised under Section 183 of the Motor Vehicles Act, with fines of Rs 2,000 for light vehicles and Rs 4,000 for medium and heavy vehicles respectively. The department will also suspend driving licenses for three months for repeated offenses.
Tiwari said that the department also took several measures against over speeding like the installation of the speed limit violation detection (SLVD) cameras at key locations, including Asharodi, FIR, Nanda Ki Chowki and Mohkampur, along with four interceptor vehicles and speed guns to monitor speeding violations. The department’s new initiative will also help reduce accidents and improve overall road safety in Dehradun, he added.
