Mumbai: The work of installing additional height gauge barriers – to prevent recurring accidents of vehicles bumping into railway bridge underpass – at the King's Circle Road Over Bridge (ROB) has been completed. The Central Railway has not only erected two additional barriers on Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Road at the both ends of the ROB, but also repaired the old barriers. Total cost of this project is nearly Rs50 lakh.
Newly-installed barriers can control vehicles with a speed of 60 kmph with a load of 30 tonne. However, the CR officials said that these barriers aren't a final solution instead just a preventive measure. “Erection of a height gauge barrier can be an interim measure to reduce such incidents,” said a senior rail official. As a permanent solution, the entry of vehicles having height of more than 4 m need to be restricted completely, it was added.
Even the traffic police is of the same view as it had issued a notification in 2018 that any vehicle having a height of more than 3.8 m from the road level is prohibited entry below the height gauges erected on either sides of the King's Circle railway bridge. The notification, a copy of which is with The Free Press Journal, had underlined that whenever the height gauge barrier is damaged by vehicles of higher dimensions, a potential danger to the railway bridge girder is caused. Any damage to the girder will result in derailment of the train with passengers, which will be a major disaster, it had added. Since January 2019, more than 20 cases of damage to height gauge barriers have been reported.
When queried about the ways to stop such recurring accidents, Additional Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Mahesh Patil said, “There is an urgent need to devise solutions as the cases of vehicles hitting barriers are on the rise; this could potentially lead to major accidents, too. We will study this entire issue and come up with plans like putting a no entry restriction for heavy vehicles or diverting them to other roads. We will come up with a proper solution so that the lives of citizens are not at risk.”
Erection of a height gauge barrier can be an interim measure to reduce such incidences. As a permanent solution, the entry of vehicles having height of more than 4 m need to be restricted completely. Senior rail official
We will study this entire issue and come up with plans like putting a no entry restriction for heavy vehicles or diverting them to other roads.
Traffic police
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