Ghaziabad: After Hapur Road, e-rickshaw to be banned on Ambedkar Road
E-rickshaws will not be allowed on Ambedkar Road from September 12, and the restrictions will be from 7am to 10pm and they are meant to ensure smooth flow of traffic
After imposing a ban on e-rickshaws on Hapur Road stretch from September 2, the Ghaziabad traffic police said on Monday that similar restrictions will be enforced on adjoining Ambedkar Road as well from September 12.
Ambedkar Road is a major city road and several business and commercial establishments are located on either side of the stretch, besides markets and residential neighbourhoods. The road connects Old Bus Stand to Chaudhary Morh intersection near the Ghaziabad railway station, said traffic officers.
“E-rickshaws will not be allowed on Ambedkar Road from September 12. The restrictions will be from 7am to 10pm and are meant to ensure smooth flow of traffic. Slow-moving e-rickshaws usually hold up traffic,” said Piyush Singh, additional deputy commissioner of police, traffic.
The officer said all internal roads leading to Ambedkar Road will have movement of e-rickshaws and they will return from the intersection point. The three intersection points are Maliwara Chowk, Kalka Garhi and Gandhi Nagar.
According to traffic police, the city at present has an estimated 14,000 e-rickshaws and a majority of them ply on the main city roads, which traffic police say is hampering the flow of traffic and also causing issues of roadside parking.
Rasheed Ahmad, an e-rickshaw driver, said drivers are feeling helpless against the decision.
“We are witnessing a decline in our daily income and many drivers are also trying to find other routes to ply on. Commuters also have to de-board and look for shared autos to complete their journey,” Ahmad said.
Social activists said traffic police first allowed the e-rickshaws to grow in numbers on major roads and are then trying to firefight ther resultant traffic issues.
“Poor people got e-rickshaws financed in a bid to earn a livelihood. Now, restrictions on major roads is not going down well with e-rickshaw drivers and this will be picked up as an agenda by political parties in the coming bypolls in Ghaziabad. The restrictions have been made without any planning. The internal connecting routes should have been chalked out before restricting e-rickshaws on major roads. Restrictions will mean a longer travel for passengers or break of journey,” said Rajendra Tyagi, former councillor from Raj Nagar.