Parking on highways back to worry motorists

Road safety experts said that on highways when vehicles move at 90kmph, the reaction time for drivers to halt the vehicles after noticing a parked vehicle is too low to avert the accident.

Trichy: After a brief gap, trucks and other goods-laden heavy vehicles have started parking on a portion of National Highways passing through Trichy city. The unauthorized parking was kept at bay for the past few months through periodical monitoring, but the vehicles have appeared again on roads posing a danger to highway users.

Parking on highways back to worry motorists

On the Trichy-Thanjavur stretch, heavy vehicles, some of them with protruding metal rods, are seen parked on the left side of the NH before accessing the toll plaza. Even though a truck lay-by area for about 500-metres is available at Konalai, 6 km from Samayapuram toll plaza, trucks continue to park near the toll plaza. In the city limits, local people complained that trucks often occupy a portion of the service roads of Mannarpuram flyover and TVS tollgate flyover even during the night hours.

“Two-wheeler riders are at risk due to the unauthorized parking. We tend to move towards the left side on hearing the sound of vehicles approaching us from behind. But, most of the portion of the service roads would have been occupied by parked trucks,” S Keerthivasasn, resident, TVS Nagar, said.

A moving vehicle crashing a stationary vehicle has proven to be very fatal. Road safety experts said that on highways when vehicles move at 90kmph, the reaction time for drivers to halt the vehicles after noticing a parked vehicle is too low to avert the accident.

When contacted, Ziaul Haqe, Superintendent of Police, Trichy district, promised to direct the highway patrol vehicles to prevent unauthorized parking along the National Highways.

Source: http://bit.ly/2WpAHxl