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Gurugram’s District Road Safety Committee (DRSC) on Friday opened the newly renovated IFFCO Chowk to commuters after implementing several traffic and pedestrian safety measures on the Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway.
These changes and upgrades were implemented with the help of Regional Transport Authority (RTA), Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) and Traffic Police; DRSC members said the trial run on the renovated intersection was conducted from October 30 till its opening on Friday.
IFFCO Chowk, a key intersection in Gurugram, has a three-foot over bridge (FOB) and a subway, but is used by few pedestrians due to their poor condition. They prefer to jaywalk at the junction, risking their lives in the process, traffic police said.
DRSC has installed portable pedestrian signals, tabletop crossings, pedestrian islands and dedicated pick and drop facilities for autorickshaws and cabs at IFFCO Chowk to facilitate safe crossing of pedestrians, cyclists and commuters, DRSC said on Friday.
The intersection is also an accident-prone area that has witnessed more than 34 road accidents in the last five years.
Between 2017 and 2021, around 34 road accidents — the highest at any single location in Gurugram — were recorded along the junction, and more than 90% of the victims were pedestrians. Police said 52 accidents were reported from the intersection during the same period and 26 people were injured.
Deputy Commissioner Nishant Kumar Yadav said they visited the IFFCO Chowk along with officials of the civic body to check the defects and identify issues causing traffic jams. “There were no designated pick and drop facilities for cabs and autorickshaws or dedicated bays for buses, leading to congestion during peak hours. Congestion due to merging of lanes, unscheduled pickup and drop of autorickshaws and private vehicles, zebra crossings and absence of traffic signals to slow down high speed vehicles were the problems not to mention the risk to pedestrians. . We have decided to implement the changes at IFFCO Chowk as it is an important junction in the city,” he said.
DRSC has constructed table top crossings — similar to speed breakers but much wider — at the junction and also set up portable pedestrian signals, giving pedestrians 10-15 seconds to cross the junction during fast-moving traffic. Pedestrian signals — similar to conventional traffic signals — are installed for pedestrians and cyclists, allowing them a short interval of 10-30 seconds to cross the junction.
Refuge islands provide a safe waiting area for pedestrians – usually two to three feet above the carriageway – in the middle or at the end of IFFCO chocks.
Yadav said dedicated bus bays and shelters separated by spring bollards as well as speed calming measures have been implemented by the traffic police. “This junction sees heavy traffic as it merges major roads like MG Road and Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway. Pedestrians, too, risk their lives while crossing the junction. Hence, the concerned agencies were directed to speed up the work of redesigning the junction,” he said.
According to Sarika Panda Bhat, road safety expert and former program coordinator of the now-defunct Haryana Vision Zero campaign, IFFCO Chowk has been a major black spot in Gurugram for the past five years. “The trial run showed that through better design and safer infrastructure, we can make significant improvements in traffic management, enforcement and overall pedestrian and cyclist safety,” he said.
Traffic police officials said that these changes will reduce traffic violations at the intersection and their teams will ensure that people obey the rules. “Dedicated bus bays and pick and drop facilities for autos will be useful for daily commuters,” said Virender Singh Sangwan, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Traffic).
Poonam Mittal, an IT professional from Shilpa Vihar, said the new changes will help reduce her travel time by at least half an hour every day. “Earlier it was difficult to get a cab from there; I had to make several calls to direct the driver to the right place. Now, with a dedicated pick-up spot, it will be easier for drivers to locate us,” he said.
Rahul Dev, a cyclist and resident of Fazilpur village, said the IFFCO Chowk has become safer after the change. “Now, traffic speed will be regulated and incidents of buses speeding or recklessly driven vehicles will be reduced,” he said.
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