Large ads of govt, private entities on BEST buses pose risk: Road safety experts

The passenger buses being operated by the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport BEST in Mumbai are currently covered with large advertisements majority of them related to the Maharashtra government campaigns which pose a risk of accidents as the reflective tapes on these vehicles are getting concealed say road safety expertsReflective tapes improve visibility ensuring safety for road users As per the rules reflective tapes of bright red white and yellow colours are installed on the rear front and the sides of the buses When light from the headlights of other vehicles falls on these tapes they glitter making the vehicle visible from a distance in darkness even if the lights of these vehicles are offThe civic transport body has given the contract of advertising on BEST buses and at bus stops to a private agencyAt present the BEST buses are covered with various large advertisements of various initiatives of the Maharashtra government and also some private entities Some of the ads of the state government which has been pumping crores of rupees on road safety initiatives and campaigns read Nirnay Vegvan Maharashtra Gatiman Speedy decisions fastmoving Maharashtra and Aapla Davakhana Our dispensary the experts and activists pointed outWith its fleet of around 3400 buses BEST provides bus service in Mumbai and neighbouring cities Around 35 lakh commuters travel on these on a daily basisSources in the BEST said that barring ebuses hired on wet lease including double decker ebuses the public transport body has taken permission from the Tardeo Regional Transport Office RTO for advertising on more than 2900 buses paying Rs 2000 fee per busThough advertisements are one of the revenue sources nowadays the reflective tapes and number plates brake lights cannot be ignored and those should be visible all the time Sanjay Sasane a retired RTO official said adding that covering such reflective tapes is also a violation of the permit conditions as per the Motor Vehicles Act 1988Also readAmbedkar Jayanti Mumbai Police issues traffic advisory for motorists check alternate routes for April 13 14Experts and some RTO officers are of the opinion that by covering its buses with advertisements the reflective tapes get concealed and this way the BEST is risking the lives of passengers as other vehicles may ram into the buses due to visibility issuesAjay Govale vice president community impact of United Way Mumbai an NGO said it is important that reflectors on the buses are prominently visible even in low lightThis ensures the safety of passengers as well as other road users The BEST management must give clear guidelines to the concerned agency doing the branding on the vehicles he saidAn RTO official who did not wish to be named said Concealing reflective tapes under advertisements is equal to not installing them It is equally serious and the buses wont be visible to drivers of other vehicles in darkness increasing the chances of crashesA penalty to Rs 1000 can be imposed on the vehicle for the first offence and Rs 2000 for the subsequent offence another official saidDespite repeated attempts BEST general manager Lokesh Chandra did not respond to a query on the issueReflective tapes are made up of special material like radium that reflect in darkness when lights fall on it and the Union government has made their use mandatory for all commercial vehiclesAccording to RTO officials as per rules 104 and 104D of the Central Motor Vehicles Rules 1989 it is mandatory for almost all the commercial vehicles to install reflective tapes that fulfil the AIS090 Automotive Industry StandardsThe RTO officials said that in order to ensure that every vehicle is fitted with reflective tapes the Union government has made it mandatory for vehicle owners to install QR codeauthenticated tapes on their vehicles to curb accidentsEarlier in 2020 global road safety body International Road Federation had urged the government to ensure strict implementation of the motor vehicle rule that requires fitment of reflectors and tapes on vehicles to prevent accidents involving stationary vehiclesThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever