A day after a fuel tanker crashed into the newly installed height-barrier of Shahid Gowari flyover at Dhantoli end, a dumper truck attempted to pass through the flyover from Morris College T-Point side, on Wednesday afternoon. In the process, the heavy vehicle damaged the height-barrier installed earlier this week.
Two back-to-back incidents of attempts by truckers have brought to the fore the criminal misuse of the city’s road infrastructure, including flyovers on which entry to heavy vehicle is banned.
On Tuesday afternoon, a fuel tanker had crashed into the height-barrier on Rahate Square side causing traffic-jam during peak hours.

According to information, driver of the dumper truck habitually drove the vehicle towards the flyover ignoring the warning on the signboard installed on the height-barrier. In the attempt, he ended up causing damage to the newly-installed structure. On hearing loud sound of the crash, traffic cops at the square immediately rushed to the spot. By the time, the driver at fault could take the vehicle away from the height-barrier. Heavy traffic-jam was witnessed on the busy flyover.

Despite clear and visible warnings in English and Marathi — Heavy Vehicles Prohibited — at both ends of the flyover, drivers of heavy vehicles continue to take the flyover.
The second incident in just 48 hours has exposed the irresponsible behaviour of drivers of the heavy vehicles dominating city roads.

To bar heavy vehicles taking flyovers, the Public Works Department (PWD) is repeatedly installing height-barriers with signages from time to time but drivers of such vehicles continue to flout traffic rule unabated.
After the Tuesday afternoon’s incident, the PWD removed the damaged height-barrier at Rahate Colony Square side to avoid any mishap.

Now, in absence of the height-barriers at Rahate Colony end of the flyover, heavy vehicles had a free run taunting the law.  Soon, the fly-over will be dominated by heavy vehicles once the damaged height-barrier at Morris College T-point is removed for repairs. Till the repairs of the height-barriers, the exercise to deter heavy vehicles from plying on the flyover remains futile.