Noida: Anuj Aggarwal, a CA in a corporate company, travels from Gaur City 2 in Noida to ITO every day for work. But much before he breaches the final frontier of traffic at ITO, there are small, frequent U-turns in Noida that eat in to his travel time. And his patience pays off while going back home in the evening. There are two traffic hotspots that particularly kills his time nearly every day — the U-turns under Sector 15 and Sector 16 Metro stations.
The Noida traffic police and Authority have removed several red lights and resorted to construction of U-turns in order to beat jams. Every major road in the NCR city has U-turns waiting for the commuters. But the frequency is also causing commuter discomfort, commuters are now complaining of traffic bottlenecks near these horseshoe structures, citing narrowing of lanes. Coupled with this, is many commuters’ constant inability to follow lane driving during peak hours—they can’t keep left in the two-wheeler lane, they can’t keep right because they may end up facing the U-turn every few hundered metres. Mushrooming of U-turns has also meant traffic violations that sees commuters taking the turns from the wrong side, raising chances of accidents. Those indulging in such violations are often avoiding the longer U-turn that increases their travel distance.
“The population in Noida is increasing rapidly. Perhaps even the government had not prepared for it. This is the biggest reason for the increase in traffic and crowd, which will not be solved by making U-turns but by good planning and development,” said 34-year-old Himanshu Singh who travels all the way from Dwarka to Sector 144 in Noida.
Managing traffic
The Noida Authority is going after red lights, reducing their numbers to reduce travel time for commuters. Besides, there is also the idea of easing the burden of the traffic police. More U-turns mean less manpower on ground to be deployed by traffic police.
“Increasing the number of U-turns in any area reduces the number of red lights, which helps in traffic control,” said R.K. Sharma, senior manager Noida Traffic cell.
The authorities have also gone after roundabouts. They claim removal of roundabouts from sector 62 and sector 37 has led to smooth movement of traffic.
The Noida Traffic Police often reaches out to the Noida Authority whenever they realise there is excessive jam on a busy stretch of road and it can be reduced by making a U-turn.
“Authorities work for the convenience of people but sometimes people create problems for themselves. Overtaking on the road has always been a menace. It’s a headache for us too,” said a Noida traffic police inspector on condition of anonymity.
The Noida Authority, which is constructing these U-turns, agrees that they are effective in traffic management.
“Due to U-turn, vehicles do not have to wait at the red lights for a long time, which saves petrol and also helps in pollution control,” added Sharma.
U-turns have made some of the busy roads signal free, which saves time for travelers. The MP-3 Road (Okhla Barrage via City Centre-Sector-71/72 intersection) has been made signal-free along with Dadri-Surajpur-Chhalera (DSC) road to facilitate faster commute between Noida and Greater Noida.
Also read: Gujarat minister excusing road offences does more damage to India’s reputation as traffic hell
Commuter conundrum
In April 2023, the Noida Authority’s decision to construct a U-turn on the road connecting Sector 67 and Sector 70, for nearly Rs 1 crore had grabbed attention.
As soon as the news appeared on social media, people started taking jibe at the Authority, asking how a U-turn could cost Rs 1 crore. “Is the U-turn made of gold?” asked one user on X.
Noida has become a hub for multinationals such as Samsung, Microsoft, Adobe, Arm Holdings, HCL etc.,which has not only contributed to the city’s economy but also added to the traffic on roads.
“Everything has its advantages and disadvantages. I travel from Sector 16 to Sector 144 and I find these U-turns quite convenient and time saving. Now I don’t have to wait at the red lights and also don’t have to take a long route for a U-turn,” said Himanshu Singh.
But 33-year-old Brij Mohan, who has been driving an auto in Noida for the last 10 years, says sometimes U-turns cause long jams and it gets worse due to the absence of traffic police.
Most U-turns are two way and when commuters try to overtake, or when many vehicles try to make a U-turn at the same time, it is a chaos at these junctures, leading to jams. Even fights erupt.
Some of the commuters who travel to Noida from different NCR cities told ThePrint that unless the roads are paved and widened, making new U-turns will only increase the problems.
“During peak hours, these U-turns create a bottleneck for the commuters traveling straight. As the vehicles move at a fast pace on this stretch (Sector 15 Metro), the chances of an accident increase,” said Aggarwal.
In October 2023, Gautam Buddha Nagar traffic police requested the Noida Authority to redesign a U-turn near Nimbus Hyde Park in Sector 78. The U-turn was exacerbating traffic congestion instead of alleviating it. Residents and commuters complained about the problems it was causing, following which the Authority planned to widen the U-turn along with nearby roads to ease congestion.
The existing U-turn was made on a narrow road. This made it difficult for buses and trucks to use it, leading to traffic jams during rush hours. Besides complaining to the Authority and traffic police, residents of Sector 78 also raised this issue on X.
“In order to take a short cut, vehicles come from the wrong side at these U-turns. This increases accident risks,” added Aggarwal.
“Increasing U-Turns are not always helpful in controlling traffic jams. I think this is just an excuse of Noida Authority because if the government is increasing U-turns, then the roads should also be widened, which is the biggest problem for the commuters.”
(Edited by Anurag Chaubey)
The worst traffic management system applied by Traffic Police in Noida and Noida Extension. Somehow these Traffic Police finds a reason for how to avoid work and enjoy a merry time and free salary. One of most corrupt and third class department with pathetic working system. May God bless them with some brains and a sense of responsibility & integrity.