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Loophole closed for speeding motoristsFrom this week, culprits face spot fines, with 50kph limits in built-up areas
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A police officer operating a speed gun to check the speed of an oncoming vehicle.
From this week, motorists ignoring speed limit signs will face strict action including spot fines of Rs. 1000.Deputy Inspector General of Traffic Police Amarasiri Senaratne said motorists who speed on the 152 roads that have been speed-marked will be issued with spot fines. Failure to pay the fine will result in a court case.
The new rule came in on August 11 following Motor Traffic Gazette Notification (Speed Limit) Regulation No. 1 of 2012 dated 14 June 2012 which specified that signboards be placed along A, B and AB roads and in the Colombo municipal council areas.
It states that a 50kph speed limit be applied to motorcycles, land vehicles, tricycles, vans and special purpose vehicles on roads in built-up areas and in all other sections not specified motorists be restricted to 70kph.
Speed limit signboards have been placed along A, B and AB roads and in Colombo
Previously, due to the lack of proper speed limit signboards on roads, the Puttalam Magistrate Court dismissed a case of speeding filed by the traffic police against a motorist. It was argued in court that the stretch of road the motorist travelled in had no speed limit signboards.
Despite police producing in court speed guns showing the speed at which the motorist had been travelling, the court cleared the man after four years of wrangling, basing its judgement on a 2008 Supreme Court order prohibiting police from filing action for speeding in road stretches that are not marked by speed limit signboards.
Since then, police stopped fining speeding motorists on roads without speed signs. Following this the Traffic police along with the Road Development Authority (RDA) has installed speed limit boards on the important main roads in the country on which motorists tend to speed. DIG Senaratne said that signboards indicating speed limits have been placed on A, B and AB roads in the nine provinces.
Spot fines for speeding. Pix by Karuwalagaswewa Jayaratne
DIG Senaratne said the primary focus will be on “rehabilitated” roads and the process will continue to include other important roads in the built-up areas. He said the gazette notification includes all roads in built-up areas and towns. The speed limits have been decided on the condition of the roads and the area population.
Accordingly the speed limit in the built-up areas including the Colombo city and main towns would be 50kph. In the rural and non-built up areas, the speed limit for cars and vans will be 70kph and for motor coaches and lorries, 60 kph. RDA Chairman N.R.M.J.S. Bandara said Rs.41.8 million has been spent on the signboards. He said now there should be no ambiguity as to where the speed limit ceases to be in force: “In non-built-up areas it would be 70kph and 50kph in built-up areas”.
Ministry of Internal Transport statistics show there were 38,481 accidents last year, causing 2,261 immediate deaths while 2,436 other people died after admission to hospital.
