However, the traffic police and the Regional Transport Office (RTO), the two departments responsible for enforcement of traffic laws, firmly believe that they are absolutely essential and their absence is one of the reasons for violation of a number of regulations.

Members of the Road Safety Council (RSC) -- particularly those from the Surat Municipal Corporation's traffic branch, which is responsible for construction of speed breakers -- and experts on traffic management, expressing surprise over directions that more speed breakers need to be constructed, regret that engineering aspects were being highlighted at the cost of basic duties of education and enforcement. The last RSC meeting deliberated on speed breakers.

Points out an engineer of the traffic branch, ``The basic rules like carrying licences, parking at proper places, are being violated at will by one and sundry. If these are enforced regularly, half of the traffic problems will be solved.'' According to him, frequently placed speed breakers at places where they were not required would lead to accidents. The traffic department is responsible for constructing speed breakers within its limits. While there is no law regarding the height, the distance between two speed breakers, among other details, in the Motor Vehicles Act or the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, neither the RTO nor the traffic department have any say in the matter.

However, traffic engineering, a subject taught in colleges, does lay down some guidelines. Says professor D A Shastri of the SVR Engineering College, who is also a member of the Council, ``Guidelines are provided by the Indian Roads Congress, which includes designing and construction of speed breakers, but unfortunately these guidelines are not strictly adhered to''.

SMC deputy engineer H R Kansara, says a number of factors should be taken into consideration before constructing speed breakers, but maintains that there were adequate speed breakers in the city.

According to him, all approach roads to a main road should have speed breakers. ``If there is a school or any other public place alongside the main road, then a speed breaker should be constructed,'' he says. Attributing the absence of speed breakers on many main roads to the mushrooming of schools and public places, he underlines the need for education and enforcement of rules. Engineering, which includes constructions of speed breakers, dividers, circles, and installing traffic signals, would serve the purpose only if people observed rules, he observes.

When contacted, Surat RTO K M Patel stated that although the department was not directly connected with speed breakers, offences like rash driving, among others were related to it and enforcement suffered because of the lack of these. Though stating that lack of staff was also one of the reasons for absence of effective enforcement, he passes on the buck to the traffic police, saying they are responsible to check such crimes.

It's time the traffic department and the RTO carry out their basic duties, instead of diverting their energy and money on constructing speed breakers.