A month-long survey by Noida authority identified faulty design of U-turns as the main reason for traffic congestion To address the continuing traffic congestion problem, the Noida authority has decided to widen a 2km stretch of Delhi-Noida Link road at an estimated cost of around ₹11 crore, officials in the know of the matter said. The authority has carried out a survey on this stretch that begins from Delhi’s Mayur Vihar and ends at Mahamaya flyover, where the Noida-Greater Noida Expressway begins. (Suni Ghosh/HT Photo) The authority has carried out a survey on this stretch that begins from Delhi’s Mayur Vihar and ends at Mahamaya flyover, where the Noida-Greater Noida Expressway begins.
The authority conducted a month long survey, and found that the traffic crawls on this stretch owing to the presence of several U-turns in sectors 14A, 15A and Dalit Prerna Sthal. At these turns, the road becomes narrow thereby blocking the smooth flow of traffic. The authority survey has suggested that this road can be widened by an additional car lane if they take three steps. “First is to reduce the width of the divider, second is to do away with the footpath towards Dalit Prerna Sthal; and third is to reduce the size of the green belt towards Sector 15A and Film City. These three suggestions have come from the survey team. After the board meeting scheduled on August 13, we will give a presentation before the chief executive officer for approval of this project,” said Shripal Bhati, deputy general manager of the Noida authority.
After the CEO gives his approval, the authority will implement this project that will help cut congestion particularly during peak hours in the morning and evening, said officials. Thousands of commuters, who daily face traffic congestion on this stretch, have filed complaints to the Noida authority about this long standing issue. “We have conducted the survey after receiving numerous complaints from commuters. The authority is taking steps to address the congestion. Apart from widening this stretch, we are also building an elevated road that will ease traffic pangs on this section. But the elevated road is a long term solution. In the short term, the authority will widen this road six-lane road over the next three or four months,” said Bhati. The commuters demand that the authority should take measures without delaying it as congestion causes commuters to lose a lot of time.
“The U-turns’ design on this stretch is faulty as it leads to congestion. The authority must look into the design of the three U-turns. Apart from that, illegal parking on the pavements towards the Dalit Prerna Sthal is another cause for congestion,” said Kapil Singh, a software engineer and daily commuter. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Vinod Rajput writes on environment, infrastructure, real estate and government policies in Noida and Greater Noida. He has reported on environment and infrastructure in Delhi, Gurgaon and Panchkula in the past.