Pune cops send legal notice to township over strips that puncture tyres

The tyre killers have been put on the road outside Amanora School in Pune's Amanora Park Town

A belt of slanting spikes that will let the air out of vehicles riding on the wrong side of the road seemed like the perfect solution to teach drivers a lesson. However, cops have pulled up the developer for having installed the spikes without due permissions.

A belt, if you will, of slanting spikes stretched along the width of the road; for those driving on the right side, it's just a speed breaker with the spikes quietly pressing down into the road as a vehicle passes, but for those coming from the wrong side, ie from the side the spikes point to, are going to have the air let out of them, in other words: a sharp poke and tyre puncture successful - this is the concept of tyre killers, which a Pune township has installed, in what could probably be a first in India for a residential complex.

Sounds ingenious, right? Many do think so, but the Pune traffic police aren't impressed. They have slapped a legal notice on the township - Amanora Park Town - and asked it to remove the contraption, which they believe poses a risk of accident and injury to pedestrians and others. Officers also said it has been put on a public road without taking permission from the traffic department.

Killin' it!
The developer of the township, spread across 400 acres of land, said he was inspired by various Indian Army colonies using it to discourage wrong-side driving. The installation has been done on the 22-foot road outside the Amanora School, where nearly 3,000 students study.

Retired Army officer Jana Rao, security in-charge at the township, said, "Many accidents have taken place on this road in the past. We had deployed additional staff keeping children's safety in mind, but it made no difference as several parents themselves would abuse and manhandle the guard and drive on the wrong side. The tyre killers have brought back driving discipline without any extra manpower or resources spent on it."

Spikes to the rescue
Echoing Rao, township vice-president Sunil Tarte said, "We had placed several signboards on the road outside school, warning people not to drive on the wrong side and not use a no-entry lane, but in vain. But for almost a month now, since putting up the spikes, there has been no major or minor accident on that stretch. "This is a pilot, it cost us R1.5 lakh. We plan to instal these tyre killers in surrounding areas soon."

"We have taken a lot of care to make the road safer. Even before a driver reaches the spikes, we have placed guards to warn him/her against going in the wrong direction. A few policemen too appreciated the move, but on Saturday, Hadapsar police's traffic unit sent me a notice. My staffers will have a discussion with the traffic police soon," said Aniruddha Deshpande, managing director of the township.

Resident Ajay Tapkir said, "This is a good initiative, helpful for children's safety. Earlier, people would drive rashly and at high speed; now, everyone is cautious." "As a parent, I used to be scared for my children with the way vehicles moved on this stretch. I used to blame the security but then found out that people themselves were flouting rules. The tyre killers have solved our problem, I am all for it. Let the offender be punished; some lessons have to be learnt the hard way," said Anuya Dadape, a software techie residing in the area.

Khaki objection
Inspector J D Kalaskar, in-charge of Hadapsar traffic unit, said, "This installation has been done without permission. It's dangerous and can cause a major disaster. Hence, we sent a notice." "The township can't act on its own; it should have approached us and the Pune Municipal Corporation for permission. It's a good idea, but it's not been thought through. The offender may get punished, but what if that leads to a bigger accident involving others?" another officer said.

DCP (traffic), Pune city, Ashok Morale said, "Our personnel inspected the road and the tyre killers and came to the conclusion that they are dangerous and pose a risk to drivers and pedestrians. I don't doubt their (township's) motive, to curb wrong-side driving, but this is not the way to stop it. There needs to be an in-depth discussion on finding a solution to the problem."

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