Chandigarh: Vikas Path Rotary project hangs in balance
Chandigarh: About a year and a half ago, the engineering wing of the UT administration started the work of removing three ‘blackspots’ on Vikas Path. The three intersections were to be converted into roundabouts to prevent accidents by speeding vehicles. The engineering wing completed two intersections, making every effort to reduce the chances of accidents by reducing the height of the roundabout, creating a six-foot-wide paver block strip around the structure, installing reflector strips and other works. But they left the third, the most deadly blackspot, midway. Since then, vehicles going from Sector 48 to Sector 43 in the middle of the roundabout are greeted by mounds of mud. The economical construction of the main road has led to two-wheelers and small vehicles jostling for space with heavy vehicles. This is what poor road design looks like at the entry and exit from Sector 45-46 road towards Sector 49-50 and vice versa. The place has two blindspots, thanks to the Chandigarh Police picket. The maze of blinking traffic lights all around keeps confusing the driver.
Commuters complain that the administration forgot to close the intersection after digging it up. Jagwinder Singh Boparai, a resident of Phase IX, Mohali, said, “Look at the condition of one of the most dangerous blackspots in the city. The irony is that the whole purpose of converting the intersection into a rotary was to remove the blackspot. Look what the engineering department experts, who get salaries in lakhs, have come up with.” In December 2022, the engineering wing started work on three traffic light junctions on Vikas Marg, with an aim to have no light points on the stretch starting from the road separating Sector 48/47 and ending at the Sector 56/39 section. Tin drums placed along the road act as barricades and the uneven portion of the road acts as a speed breaker here. There are 11 intersections on this stretch. All of these have rotaries, except the most deadly one. “Since this is the Sector 45-46-49-50 rotary, the authorities may take it lightly. Have you seen the rotaries dug up since a year in the northern sectors,” said a Sector 50 resident living near the spot. “The Chandigarh Police Chowki here has been built to give a clear view to vehicles coming from Sector 49-50 side,” said Vijay Bansal, a resident of Sector 46.
Three killed in 2014 accident
Five people – three college students and a newly married couple – were killed and 15 injured in a collision between an HRTC luxury bus and a car at this spot on August 23, 2014. Following this, the Chandigarh Traffic Police and the Engineering Department prepared a detailed report to prevent such accidents. Ten years later, the result is for all to see. On an average, there used to be three to four fatal accidents here every year. However, the frequency of accidents has reduced considerably now.
