Old Gurugram roads choked by wrong-side driving, parking woes: Locals

Traffic police said over 3,600 commuters were fined for wrong-side driving during the first two weeks of May.

Residents of older sectors in Gurugram continue to face heavy traffic congestion during peak hours near Sohna Chowk, Dayanand Saraswati Marg and Basai Road due to unregulated traffic movement, roadside parking and blockage of free left slip lanes by e-rickshaws, locals said.

Illegally parked vehicles along the main road at Sadar Bazar cause traffic congestion near the Old MCG Office, as seen on Sunday. (Parveen Kumar/HT)

Residents and commuters alleged that signal jumping, wrong-side driving, illegal parking and unauthorised stopping of vehicles near intersections regularly lead to bottlenecks across several stretches in Old Gurugram.

Sagar Anand, a local business owner at Pataudi Chowk, said two-wheelers and e-rickshaws frequently occupy free left lanes, causing traffic spillover near intersections. “Heavy traffic from Jail Road, Khandsa and Sadar Bazaar merges here, while signal jumping increases congestion. Streamlining measures and alternative parking are required to reduce bottlenecks,” Anand said.

Mahesh Kumar, a daily commuter, said the stretch from Sohna Chowk towards Civil Lines witnesses increased jaywalking and wrong-side driving during evening hours. “With less parking space along the roadside, the situation becomes chaotic on the stretch,” he said.

During a spot check on Sunday, HT found vehicles at the Basai-Pataudi Y-junction convergence near the City Bus depot taking illegal U-turns to access Hero Honda Chowk.

“Canter vans and e-rickshaws use the merging point as an interchange, leading to safety concerns for commuters heading towards Old Gurugram,” said Ravi Kumar, a local resident.

He added that ongoing sewage work near Civil Hospital triggered traffic congestion extending up to Basai Chowk late on Saturday night.

A senior traffic police official overseeing the area said the congestion was cleared by around 8pm and traffic movement restored. “Any snarl near traffic signals on Pataudi and Sohna Chowk is strictly prevented through manual checks and camera channelling. Vehicles jumping signals or moving irregularly along the road are fined,” the official said.

Traffic police data from May showed that 3,612 commuters were fined for wrong-side driving and 581 vehicles were towed for illegal parking during the first two weeks of the month. “Patrolling units monitor the stretches daily to remove vehicles which either break down or block the roads,” the senior official added.

Officials said the decongestion plan from Old Railway Road to Mahavir Chowk through diversions has improved traffic movement near Agrasen Chowk, Gurugram railway station and nearby intersections. “Alternate parking solutions are in the works to eliminate snarls near Sadar Bazaar and other busy intersections,” officials said.

During a District Road Safety Committee (DRSC) meeting in April, the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) was directed to remove temporary encroachments near Mahavir Chowk. A senior MCG official said enforcement and fining against vendors encroaching on lanes has since been intensified.