Revamped Iffco Chowk opened to traffic, commuters happy with changes

Iffco Chowk, a key junction in Gurugram, has three-foot over bridges (FOBs) and a subway, but these are used by few pedestrians owing to their poor condition. They prefer to jaywalk at the junction, risking their lives in the process, said traffic police.

The district road safety committee (DRSC) of Gurugram opened to commuters on Friday the newly revamped Iffco Chowk on the Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway after implementing a slew of traffic and pedestrian safety measures.

Revamped Iffco Chowk opened to traffic. (Vipin Kumar/HT Photo)

These changes and upgrades were effected with the help of regional transport authority (RTA), Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) and traffic police; DRSC members said, adding that the trial run at the revamped intersection was conducted from October 30 till its opening on Friday.

Iffco Chowk, a key junction in Gurugram, has three-foot over bridges (FOBs) and a subway, but these are used by few pedestrians owing to their poor condition. They prefer to jaywalk at the junction, risking their lives in the process, said traffic police.

DRSC has set up portable pedestrian signals, tabletop crossings, pedestrian islands and dedicated pick and drop facilities for autorickshaws and cabs at Iffco Chowk to facilitate the safe crossing of pedestrians, cyclists and commuters, said DRSC on Friday.

The intersection is also an accident prone area that has witnessed over 34 road fatalities in the past five years.

Around 34 road fatalities — highest at any single spot in Gurugram — were recorded along the junction between 2017 and 2021, and over 90% of the victims were pedestrians. Police said 52 accidents were reported from the intersection during the same period and 26 persons were injured.

Nishant Kumar Yadav, deputy commissioner, said they visited Iffco Chowk along with the civic agency officials to check the shortcomings and identify issues that were causing congestion. “There was no designated pick and drop facility for the cab and autorickshaws or dedicated bays for buses there, resulting in congestion during peak hours. There were issues related to intermixing of lanes, congestion on account of undesignated pickups and drops by auto-rickshaws and private vehicles, not to mention the risk posed to pedestrians in the absence of zebra crossings and traffic signals to slow down the high-speed traffic. We decided to implement changes at Iffco Chowlk as it is an important intersection in the city,” he said.

DRSC constructed table top crossing — similar to speed breakers but much wider — at the junction and also set up portable pedestrian signals, allowing pedestrians 10-15 seconds to cross the junction during fast-moving traffic. Pedestrian signals — similar to conventional traffic signals —have been installed for pedestrians and cyclists, allowing them short intervals of 10-30 seconds to cross the junction.

The refuge islands provide a safe waiting space — usually at an elevation of two to three feet from the carriageway — to pedestrians, at the middle or end of Iffco Chowk.

Yadav said dedicated bus bays and shelters segregated by spring bollards as well as speed calming measures have been effected by the traffic police. “The intersection sees heavy traffic due to merging of major roads such as MG Road, and the Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway, among others. Pedestrians, too, risk their lives while crossing the junction.So, agencies concerned were directed to expedite work on redesigning the junction at the earliest,” he said.

According to Sarika Panda Bhatt, a road safety expert and former programme coordinator of the now-defunct Haryana Vision Zero campaign, Iffco Chowk is a major blackspot in Gurugram since the past five years. “The trial run has shown that through better design and safer infrastructure, we can make significant improvements in traffic management, enforcement and overall pedestrian and cyclist safety,” she said.

Traffic police officials said these changes will reduce traffic violations at the intersections and their teams will ensure people follow the rules. “The designated bus bay and pick and drop facility for autos will be useful for daily commuters,” said Virender Singh Sangwan, deputy commissioner of police (traffic).

Poonam Mittal, an IT professional from Udyog Vihar, said the new changes will help cut her travel time by at least half an hour daily. “It was difficult to board a cab from there before; I had to make several calls to direct the driver to the correct spot. Now, with a dedicated pick-up spot, it will be easier for drivers to locate us,” she said.

Rahul Dev, a cyclist and a resident of Fazilpur village, said Iffco Chowk has become safer after the changes. “Now, traffic speed will be controlled and there will be fewer instances of speeding of buses or rashly driven vehicles,” he said.