Ghaziabad: The familiar crime of driving the wrong side quickly became the curse of the 14-lane highway NHAI exhibition.
From illegal violations and one or two places that are very vulnerable to it, driving the wrong side have become a habit in the Delhi-Meerut Expressway (DME) and NH-9 sections around the ghazipur-up gate border.
Cars, Autos, two-wheeled, even cyclists, form a steady flow that moves against the flow of traffic to enter Delhi through the path intended for traffic out of the capital.
This has made the Flyover NH-9 in Ghazipur very dangerous to drive and vulnerable to accidents.
Middle lane controlled access from the highway – which is DME – not immune from this too.
Bicycles and autos enter DME through the exit of the first Indirapuram for Delhi traffic coming out and direct the wrong side towards Akshardham and Mayur Vihar (this vehicle also now has access to Anand Vihar through the entrance path to DME which has been created for the traffic Delhi is bound by the transfer because of the blockade of farmers on the gate).
Driving the wrong side has become a problem in other parts of DME too.
Last month, after an accident on the toll road near Dasna where five family members were killed when a truck on the wrong side collided into their car, Nhai had put guards in several places to stop illegal turn.
But it doesn’t really help.
“Nhai has decided that guards will be placed in places where a public driving error,” said the NHAI project director Mudit Garg told toi.
“But in a few days to mobilize guards, they were asked to go by Delhi police near Ghazipur.
They were told it was not their job,” Garg added.
However, Delhi police did not respond to this.
Garg also said many people took the wrong side to avoid detours because “because one side of DME was closed for months now for farmers’ protest”.
Asked about driving the wrong side that was rampant on other stretches that were not affected by the blockade, such as the NOIDA 62, Chhijarsi and Dasna sector, Garg said: “Nhai has done everything that can be stopped Jaywalking and driving perfectly on the toll road.
This has been Install obstacles and try to mobilize the guard.
In the end, it is a traffic department that must ensure that any violation, including driving the wrong side, do not take place.
Nhai can only provide assistance.
“Between Sarai Kale Khan and Up Gate, Four Spots ( Akshardham, Vihar Mayur, Ghazipur Chicken Market and McD Toll Plaza) have been identified by NHAI as tending to drive the wrong side.
On the stretch of DME gate, four places (CISF junction, city model, bamheta and dasna intersection) are identified and in the dasna-meerut section, it is the Dasna Junction, Bhojpur and Partapur.
Ghaziabad SP (Traffic) Ramanand Kushwaha said driving the wrong side had two aspects for that – intentionally and unintentionally – and the right signage could stop the last.
“There are many people who are confused because of the lack of signage or toll road design.
During rush hour, we ensure that there is a heavy police presence at vulnerable points in DME.
But we need to punish violators of traffic rules,” he added.
DME and NH-9 form a 14-line corridor between the capital and Meerut developed by NHAI, increasing the four paths of the estwhile NH-24.
Driving on the wrong side becomes the norm in the NH-9 section
