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To slow down speedsters, Mohali cops turn to temporary roundabouts
The first among these temporary roundabouts has been installed in Sector 80, Mohali, and will be followed by 10 more, primarily in areas witnessing light traffic flow and on Airport Road
Speedsters zipping through low-traffic intersections and red-light runners have prompted the Mohali cops to set up temporary roundabouts in the city.
The first among them has been installed in Sector 80 and will be followed by 10 more, primarily in areas witnessing light traffic flow and on Airport Road.
The roundabouts will be built in vulnerable roundabouts under the supervision of senior superintendent of police (SSP) Sandeep Kumar Garg.
In November, minister of housing and urban development Aman Arora had directed local authorities to convert light points across Mohali into roundabouts to streamline traffic and avoid road mishaps.
Deputy commissioner Amit Talwar had also called a meeting to take stock of the preparations being made in this regard.
“Traffic on the roads is increasing by the day and the number of mishaps is also on the rise. I have asked the Greater Mohali Area Development Authority (GMADA) town planning department to conduct a study and construct the roundabouts. We already held a meeting with the police, GMADA and other stakeholders. In the first phase, we will construct six roundabouts till March and the remaining five roundabouts will be completed by June,” said the official.
“A roundabout will be constructed behind the Sohana gurdwara as the traffic flow there is very light and thus people tend to jump the traffic lights causing accidents,” the DC said.
Calling the roundabouts “traffic calming devices”, state traffic adviser Navdeep Asija said, “The purpose is to slow down traffic, especially at vulnerable chowks such as IISER Chowk, and at least 10 black spots on Airport Road. It is GMADA’s job to construct these roundabouts, but sensing the urgency, the police themselves set up the roundabouts using their resources.”
Asija said ideally for a 30-m wide road, authorities needed to construct at least a 45-m wide roundabout to slow down the traffic from all sides, but for roads seeing light traffic flow, a 10-12m roundabout should serve the purpose.
Mohali traffic superintendent Jagjeet Singh said a list of other roundabouts was ready.
