Motorists waste Rs 840 a month idling on NH-16
Average waiting time at red light is 1 minute at all 13 stops
By : DC Correspondent
Update: 2015-10-27 07:47 GMT
Visakhapatnam: Motorists are squandering money by idling their bikes at red lights, especially from Hanumanthawaka to NAD junction on NH-16, the busiest stretch in the city. Idling bikes not only wastes fule but also strains the environment due to carbon emission.
“Many of the commuters keep their bikes on even at red lights without any thought about the environment,” said a traffic police. There are 13 red lights between Hanuma-nthawaka to NAD junction and the average waiting time at each of the stops is one minute. However, the halting time at the stops like NAD and other busy junctions could go up to 5 minutes in peak hours, according to traffic police.
The google map shows the journey time between Haumanthawaka and NAD stretch as 20 minutes but with the traffic snarls, it takes not less than 35 minutes.
Idling a two-wheeler for 10 minutes wastes at least one-tenth of a litre. For heavy duty vehicles, it wastes up to two-fifths of a litre, according to a research paper published by Indian Environment Portal, promoted by National Knowledge Commission, the advisory body to the Prime Minister.
According to a research, bikers frequenting the route would be burning about extra 400 ml of fuel (to and fro) due to idling their vehicles for nearly 30 minutes at red lights on the NH stretch. This leads to an inference that a biker wastes 12 litres of petrol, on an average every month, and it costs them around Rs 840, considering that a litre petrol costs Rs 70. If all categories of vehicles plying on the stretch are considered, it means thousands of litres of fuel is wasted everyday. According to sources, about 35,000 tickets are taken everyday at the entry toll gate of the national highway.