Transport light point most dangerous intersection in Chandigarh

With seven fatal accidents, the transport light point in Sector 26 remained the most dangerous intersection in the city in 2019, as per the traffic police data. The fatalities included five pedestrians and two motorists.

The light point is used mostly by outstation traffic, heading out from Chandigarh towards Haryana and Himachal side. The light point is also in close proximity to the entrance of Bapu Dham Colony (BDC) and the Transport Area in Sector 26.

Explaining why it has become one of the most dangerous intersections in the city over the years, general secretary of the Chandigarh Transport Association, BL Sharma, said, “A lot of traffic from Punjab going towards Haryana and Himachal comes from this light point, making it very busy and dangerous. Challaning drives carried out here, especially for speeding, fetch good results.”

Local area councillor Dalip Sharma added, “The entrance to Bapu Dham has made the lightpoint a busy intersection. We had made pedestrian paths here but people don’t always walk on those. The area is also dimly lit at night and we have only recently installed lights from here to the entrance of BDC to make the road safer.” Sharma added that he had also written to the UT chief architect to increase the width of the road till Bapu Dham Colony entrance by 5 feet on each side as the route gets congested during peak hours.

Deputy inspector general of police (DIG, traffic) Shashank Anand said that the traffic police have recommended to the UT engineering department to install table top speed breakers, similar to the ones used at the Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH), Sector 32, to bring down fatalities here.

Punjab traffic advisor Navdeep Asija pointed out how even this year, the Sector 32 roundabout had recorded zero fatalities. “Traffic calming devices are the way forward, and table top breakers here can make this intersection much safer,” he said.

DAKSHIN MARG, MADHYA MARG MOST DANGEROUS ROADS

Dakshin Marg and Madhya Marg were the most dangerous roads in the city in 2019 with 18 and 14 fatalities respectively. Around 30% of the total 104 fatalities in the city took place on these two roads and 45% of the total accidents involving two-wheelers also happened here.

Speaking about the problem, member, National Road Safety Council, Government of India, Kamal Soi said, “These are both major roads where speeding takes place. Traffic calming devices, such as rumble strips and speed breakers, can be made here with proper engineering to curb speeding.”

DIG Anand added that by slowly switching from manual challaning to e-challaning, the traffic police were improving the implementation of traffic rules to bring down the road fatalities. He added they had made a temporary median on the road connecting Sector 25 and 38 West to bring down collisions. They have also started challaning those who stop on these roads to reduce traffic bottlenecks.