Chandigarh: Ignored 2021 road safety guide could have averted fatal Porsche crash
Over three years ago, Chandigarh traffic police had recommended a slew of measures to improve safety on the busy Vigyan Path, but these remain stuck in the slow lane
A crucial road safety proposal submitted three years ago to declare Vigyan Path a “No-Overtaking Zone” was ignored by the Chandigarh administration, leaving the high-speed stretch vulnerable to reckless driving.
Despite clear warnings from Chandigarh Traffic Wing, speeding and overtaking remain unchecked on the busy 4.6-km stretch.
Two tragic fatal accidents on the road—one in May 2024 and the recent Porsche crash on March 10—leading to the loss of three precious lives, have exposed the consequences of this inaction.
In 2021, traffic police had submitted a comprehensive road safety plan for Vigyan Path and its connecting V-5 roads to the UT transport secretary. The recommendations aimed at preventing high-speed overtaking and reckless lane-changing, which frequently lead to accidents.
The Vigyan Path, stretching over 4.6 km, from Kishangarh turn near Golf Club in Sector 6 up to PEC light point in Sector 12, is a single carriageway without a divider. Several V-5 roads, including those from Sectors 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 10 and 11, merge onto this road, creating potential traffic hazards.
Expanding the road width is not feasible due to the lack of road reservation space and the presence of cycle tracks, trees and streetlight poles along the entire stretch.
The survey observed that the merging of vehicles from V-5 roads onto Vigyan Path’s main traffic flow occurs without stopping, increasing the risk of accidents. Overtaking and speeding have been observed frequently on this stretch, posing a significant danger to road users.
Since a divider or median is not feasible, to make the road safer, traffic experts had suggested marking the road with solid double yellow lines to clearly indicate the segregation between opposite traffic flows and installing “Overtaking Prohibited” signage in accordance with the Indian Roads Congress (IRC) Code.
To regulate traffic movement, the proposal recommended installing a traffic light at the midpoint of Sector 5 and Sector 8.
Additionally, all V-5 roads leading to Vigyan Path must have “STOP” signs installed on the left side, ensuring vehicles halt before safely merging onto the main road.
Another suggestion included installation of thermoplastic rumble strips in white colour near the “STOP” signs to slow down approaching vehicles.
Besides, it was decided that a special enforcement drive should be conducted by the traffic police to curb overtaking violations and speeding.
In the aftermath of the March 10 accident, the traffic department has again decided to take up the proposal of declaring the stretch as “No-Overtaking Zone”. In recent years, the road has witnessed huge volume of traffic due to commuters, travelling from Panchkula to Chandigarh, opting for this route.
When officials in the UT engineering department were contacted, they maintained that the Vigyan Path was under purview of the municipal corporation.
Killer stretch snuffed out 3 lives in a year
May 1, 2024: A female college student and an auto-rickshaw driver were killed after the vehicle was rammed head-on by a speeding Mahindra Scorpio on the Sector 5/8 dividing road. The student was on the way to Guru Gobind Singh College for Women, Sector 26, with four more students for exams, when the mishap took place. The four students also suffered injuries in the accident.
March 10, 2025: A speeding Porsche crashed into two scooters near the Sectors 3/4/9/10 roundabout, killing a 27-year-old man and leaving two women injured.