Fresco residents enforce one-way traffic movement to ease congestion

An upscale township in Sector 50 and home to over 800 apartments, Fresco also offers refuge to 1,200 cars, with an average of 2 cars per apartment. The residents have took it upon themselves to enforce the one-way plan in a bid to streamline the movement of vehicles on the premises

Alarmed over the increase in the volume of traffic inside the complex, the residents of Fresco in Nirvana Country have drawn up a new plan to enforce one-way movement of traffic on the premises of their condominium.

The residents of Fresco in Nirvana Country have derived a lot of benefits by switching to a one-way traffic system (SANCHIT KHANNA/HT FILE)

An upscale township in Sector 50 and home to over 800 apartments, Fresco also offers refuge to 1,200 cars, with an average of 2 cars per apartment. The residents have taken it upon themselves to enforce the one-way plan in a bid to streamline the movement of vehicles on the premises.

Justifying the move, the Fresco residents said that ensuring one-way traffic was the best and only way to avoid congestion on the entrance and exit of the condominium.

Though the road on the periphery of the society is wide affording a two-way movement of traffic, it branches out into some narrow lanes leading to congestion. Vehicles parked on the road only compounds the problem.

“We’ve had several close shaves and minor accidents on the stretches inside the complex. At our last general board meeting, the members arrived at a consensus on a proposal to enforce one-way traffic movement and have the vehicles parked at the two basements which have ample space,” Nilesh Tandon, president, RWA, said.

The plan was implemented last week after the residents put up proper signage at appropriate places and made fellow residents aware of the move.

The roads inside the complex are not deemed wide enough to accommodate too many parked vehicles and yet afford a two-way traffic movement. Seeing the rising volume of vehicles and a seemingly unending stream of traffic inside the complex, the residents carried out a trial run of the one-way system for three days before implementing it.

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“Switching to one-way traffic has done us a world of good and the residents are delighted as they can drive without the fear of running into a vehicle coming from the opposite direction. In the next stage of implementing our plan, we’ll have the vehicles parked on the surface shifted to the basements. This will put an end to the woes surrounding congestion and make it easier for the residents and visitors to get around,” Tandon said.

The road was made one-way not only to ease congestion, but also reduce travel time of commuters.

“Though one-way traffic, at times, increases the distance one has to travel, it cuts down the travel time drastically and also takes away the stress of driving through two-way traffic. Even in the event of a vehicle breaking down, the waiting time for motorists is reduced as they simply have to drive past the grounded vehicle without having to give right of way to the incoming traffic from the other side,” Supriyo Das Gupta, secretary, RWA, said.

The broad aim is to decongest the roads and help residents move smoothly.

“Another huge benefit is that the risk of collision with a vehicle coming from the other side will be reduced significantly. The only concern is that the move to one-way traffic might encourage motorists to drive fast, but one could overcome it by having more speed breakers. As the merits clearly outweight the demerits, the move to one-way traffic works out well for everyone and is in sync with international roadway norms,” Prashant Bansal, a resident, said

As a part of the plan, the residents put up glow signage at various bends and turns, had traffic posts set up to direct the movement of vehicles and ensure compliance by way of regular interactions with all the residents and non-resident apartment owners.

The security guards were also briefed on the plan to ensure they guide residents in the correct manner.

With this drive, the residents not only met the broad objectives behind implementing the plan but also saw a significant reduction in parking on the road. With the congestion markedly reduced, the society is all the better for it.

The RWA carried out an awareness campaign before launching the one-way system. It required time to assess the impact.