Traffic lights at Zirakpur fail to serve the purpose

Satinder Pal Singh

Zirakpur, August 16

The idea of installing traffic lights on the National Highway, near McDonald’s, Zirakpur, and Singhpura-Nagla intersection defeats the purpose of their installation.

Though the traffic lights were installed with a view to streamline the traffic on the National Highway, but it has been creating hindrances in a smooth flow of traffic for the past couple of months.

As a result, the traffic policemen have put these lights off and are busy regulating the traffic on the National highway with the old manual system, as the number of vehicles on the city roads have increased manifold.

Even as the traffic policemen are busy signalling to the drivers, standing in the middle, they are in no position to stop a violator because, in the meantime, traffic would start increasing. On the other hand, the traffic personnel’s deployed at these points for most of the day, as soon as they take a break and switch on the traffic lights when the flow is less, the vehicular movement goes out of order.

Traffic jams during school hours are frequent at Singhpura-Nagla intersection which puts hundreds of commuters and localities to a great hardship. Many two-wheelers can be seen violating traffic rules to get out of jams. However, the stretch connecting the Chhat village and 200-ft road near McDonald’s, Zirakpur, is leading to traffic chaos. Apart from it, the traffic coming from the Mohali side took the wrong side and entered the service road meant for the vehicles going towards Chandigarh, further added to the snarl-ups.

The spot has become an accident-prone area as many motorists have met with minor and major accidents at this particular point in the past some months.

A traffic policemen preferring anonymity said when these traffic lights were on, commuters, especially those riding two-wheelers, do not follow the signal, as a result of which the traffic scenario is chaotic at the Singhpura-Nagla intersection, casting a shadow on the lives of others travelling on the highway.

When contacted, Rajinder Singh, Traffic in-charge, Zirakpur, said the traffic in the recent past had increased manifold. He added that heavy volume of traffic coming from the Chandigarh, Ambala, Nagla and Singhpura sides converge at this point. “Therefore, we are required to turn off these traffic lights during peak hours. The lights are turned on when the flow of traffic is less.