Speed test to be conducted on Mum-Pune Expressway

A speed test on random vehicles will be conducted on the country's first Expressway that connects Mumbai to Pune. The exercise is a part of attempts to increase the speed limit on Mumbai-Pune Expressway from the existing 80-kmph to 100-kmph.

The Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) has been contemplating to increase the speed limit of vehicles plying on the Expressway after the Centre recently allowing maximum speed limit of 120-kmph on Expressways nationwide. DNA had reported on August 13, 2018 about MSRDC's plans to increase the speed limit on the Expressway in both the ghat section and non-ghat section.

A committee was formed comprising experts and representatives from the automobile sector, civil engineers, health department, state highway traffic police along with SaveLife Foundation, an NGO that is working with MSRDC to make the Expressway zero fatality corridor.

An MSRDC official said, "We have drafted the revised speed limit wherein there is a thought to have 100-kmph as speed limit for non-ghat section on the Expressway along with 50-kmph as speed limit for ghat section or where there are curves. A final decision will be taken after a few tests that are required to be done will be completed for increasing the speed limit by SaveLife Foundation."

Piyush Tewari, CEO of SaveLife Foundation that will be carrying out the tests, said, "What we will be doing is an observational study wherein speed management survey will be conducted to identify what is the common speed at what people are driving. We will be stationing our people at several locations with speed guns who will capture the speed for us to understand the level of enforcement that will be required."

A FAST DRIVE

The revised speed limit will vary for three categories of vehicles that is cars with passenger capacity of not more than eight seats, passenger vehicles with nine or more seats and goods carriages