Height barrier paradox!

 

 

Referring to the news item "First Day, First Idiot", Cityline news (June 4, 2025), this happens to be the "n th" time a height barrier on this very spot has been breached. Quite a few of these had come crashing down post the impact. Yesterday's accident involved a tanker bearing registration no. MH 31 FC 4161. Both the tanker and its driver were locals, which makes it imperative that the driver is a habitual offender. It is quite clear that the two blue signboards to the top left are defunct as far as their clear visibility to pass on the message to errant drivers is concerned. "Maharashtra Shashan", etc., need not clutter the space on such signboards. "Heavy Vehicles Prohibited" in big bold letters and its translation in Marathi/Hindi are sufficient.

 

The tanker's three fuel filler inlets atop were hit and damaged. It is astounding to observe that the truck's front cabin more or less seamlessly scraped through the barrier. It is preferable if the mast atop the driver's cabin is targeted by decreasing height of the barrier. The driver gets his life’s lesson instantly. On this same height barrier, a steel beam transverse to the road and a little bit lower and parallel, just below the upper beam can be welded. This will target the mast of any truck driver's cabin. It will also lower the height of the barrier. The tallest SUVs have heights as such, viz. Mahindra Scorpio Classic – 1995 mm, Ford Endeavour – 1918 mm, Range Rover – 1870 mm, Mercedes Benz GLS 600 – 1838 mm, Tata Safari – 1795 mm and Mahindra XUV 700 – 1755 mm.

 

The tallest is hence around 6 feet 6.5 inches. Hence even if a 7.5 feet allowance is permitted on the height barrier, the truck's mast atop its driver's cabin cannot get through. Additionally, the upper and lower horizontal barrier beams need to have the words "Danger" and "Savdhan/ Khatra" affixed multiple times in red reflecting tape on a yellow reflecting paint background. This will enhance visibility and caution the errant heavy commercial vehicle drivers. It is hoped that the Traffic Police and NMC will please look into the matter.