‘Keep separate lanes for cash payers and tag users to beat congestion’
Neeraj Diwan, road safety officer in Gurgaon, says that a toll plaza inside urban limits is against the norms.
A toll plaza inside urban limits is against the norms. Earlier, Gurgaon had Sirhaul, which was removed after protests from locals. Now, it has Kherki Daula toll plaza, which is proving to be a bottleneck. I am not against charging toll from commuters but with a faulty design, the toll plaza has proved to be a problem.
Gurgaon was already a city when the expressway was constructed and not the other way round. The toll should have been outside the urban limits. Locals from villages on both sides of the road, whose land was acquired, have been left to fend for themselves as the connectivity across east and west side is poor. It is only now that the government is planning to construct underpasses and flyovers, which is a bit too late.
One important step to reduce congestion would be to improve the condition of service roads between Rajiv Chowk and Kherki Daula toll plaza. There is a need to concretise the road as waterlogging during monsoon ensures the road remains in bad shape throughout the year. Separation of traffic will reduce congestion. Also, there is an urgent need to ensure there is no mixing of cash paying cars with those with smart tags.
Another important measure that can be taken up is to increase the number of traffic marshals deployed at critical junctions between Rajiv Chowk and Kherki Daula.
Pedestrian footfall at Hero Honda Chowk is very high resulting in traffic snarls almost every day. This stretch could have pelican lights and zebra crossings to ensure safe movement of pedestrians and reduction in traffic jams.
(Neeraj Diwan is a road safety officer in Gurgaon)
As told to Abhishek Behl