Fog safety, school transport and overloading top agenda in road safety meet in Gurugram

Bhatt directed all road construction and maintenance agencies to implement fog-related safety measures including marking of speed breakers, installing reflective tapes on all transport vehicles, roadside trees and ensuring visibility of road furniture during low-visibility.

In a push to tighten road safety enforcement in Gurugram, additional deputy commissioner (ADC) Sonu Bhatt on Wednesday chaired a meeting of the district road safety committee and reviewed compliance under the Safe School Vehicle Policy, said officials on Thursday.

The meeting, held at the mini secretariat, focused on accident prevention (HT Photo)

The meeting, held at the mini secretariat, focused on accident prevention, enforcement against traffic violations and infrastructure corrections across the district.

Bhatt directed all road construction and maintenance agencies to implement fog-related safety measures including marking of speed breakers, installing reflective tapes on all transport vehicles, roadside trees and ensuring visibility of road furniture during low-visibility.

Officials were instructed to ensure pruning of trees along major corridors to allow smooth traffic movement and better sight lines for motorists. Bhatt said that residents can report civic complaints related to faulty street lights, dark stretches or damaged roads on the helpline, 1033.

During the meeting, several infrastructure works were also reviewed. At Wazirabad Chowk, forest department clearance has been granted for removal of a tree obstructing traffic flow. Speed control measures are being implemented on Golf Course Road and other high-speed corridors, while public toilet facilities under the Iffco Chowk flyover have been planned for commuters.

To solve traffic congestion at Atrium Place, widening of the Udyog Vihar service road from Shyam Chowk to Shankar Chowk from two lanes to three has been approved. A grade-separated foot over bridge has also been proposed at Shyam Chowk following a joint site inspection by Haryana State Industrial & Infrastructure Development Corporation (HSIIDC), National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), traffic police and DLF.

A major focus of the meeting was enforcement against overloading passengers in public and private vehicles. In November this year, joint drives by the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) and NHAI led to 233 challans worth ₹1.62 crore, while in December, 144 vehicles were fined ₹1.03 crore. Bhatt directed sub-divisional magistrates (SDMs) to ensure timely submission of enforcement data and suggested restricting release of repeat offenders on superdari to curb violations.

Traffic police data presented at the meeting revealed that between September 29 and November 16, over 263,000 challans were issued for violations such as wrong-side driving, speeding, drunk driving and school bus non-compliance. Suspension of driving licences has been recommended in nearly 3,000 drunk-driving cases.

School transport safety was also discussed with lapses such as missing CCTV, GPS systems, expired first-aid kits and lack of police verification of drivers. As many as 96 challans have been issued, and SDMs were directed to conduct regular audits to ensure children’s safety.