No action yet, violations continue
GURUGRAM: A day after two people were killed and one injured when a Mahindra Scorpio, being driven on the wrong side of the road, rammed a Maruti Suzuki Swift Dzire in an underpass on the Golf Course Road, authorities concerned are yet to take any action on the ground to prevent similar accidents in future.
The authorities concerned are traffic police, Haryana Urban Development Authority (Huda), and DLF, which designs and constructs underpasses on the stretch.
Although they offered assurances that they would take up the matter, no change or check was implemented on Monday, as a result of which violations such as jaywalking and wrong-side driving continued as usual.
Traffic police officers said they will take up the issue of road safety with DLF and Huda soon. They said they will also start cracking down on violations on the road.
“There is no fixed schedule for carrying out drives to check traffic violations on Golf Course Road or any other part of the city. There is no such drive scheduled to take place on the Golf Course Road today (Monday). Most drives are carried out on the spur of the moment to catch violators off guard,” Sandeep Malik, assistant commissioner of police (traffic), said.
Chandra Shekhar Khare, the Huda administrator, said he is following up with officials on the issue. “I will speak to the officials regarding issues faced by commuters on Golf Course Road and see if any change needs to be made,” Khare said.
DLF officials declined to comment on the matter.
The accident took place on Sunday morning in the DLF Phase 1 – Cyber City underpass. The Swift Dzire was transporting a woman co-pilot to the airport for her duty. Besides the driver and the woman, a company security guard was also in the vehicle.
The car had collided with the Scorpio on the side of the carriageway meant for commuters travelling from DLF Phase-1 to Cyber City.
Experts blamed the accident on a lack of signage and the improper design of the Golf Course Road, apart from a lack of checks.
“City roads such as the Golf Course Road cannot have turns after such long intervals and be signal-free. There are several residential as well as commercial complexes on both sides of the road, which require at-grade crossings and smooth entry/ exits. Hence, instead of giving a high-speed corridor to commuters, similar to that of a national highway, authorities need to keep the land use in mind,” Sarika Panda Bhatt, head, cities and transport, World Resources Institute (WRI), India said.
Sewa Ram, professor of transport planning, School of Planning and Architecture, New Delhi, said, “Lack of signage creates confusion and prompts motorists to station their vehicles on the side of the road or drive on the wrong side of the road, which increases the chance of accidents. Signage needs to be properly marked for allowing commuters to navigate unfamiliar roads.”
On Monday, even after officials promised action, residents said the situation remained the same.
“I was hoping that after Sunday’s incident, personnel would be present on the road. However, the situation was the same as before,” Aniket Kapoor, a resident of DLF-5, said.