Autos disrupting traffic near Ludhiana railway station, commuters left in the lurch

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Ludhiana, July 23

The city’s residents have expressed their frustration over the persisting traffic congestion on the road outside the railway station here. They say that autorickshaw drivers stop to drop and pick up passengers at any random spot on the road due to the absence of designated stops for three-wheelers along the stretch.

No designated spots for three-wheelers

• n According to city residents, autorickshaw drivers stop to drop and pick up passengers at any random spot on the road due to the absence of designated stops for three-wheelers along the stretch.
• n To make matters worse, several vends were put up on the road on Sunday, leading to the formation of a bottleneck on the road.
• n The police had also set up a separate lane for the autorickshaws, but the officials’ efforts turned out to be futile as three-wheeler drivers did not support them.

Since it is easy to drive electric vehicles, I have seen many minors driving electric autorickshaws in the city in a rash manner. They have no idea about the traffic rules and regulations. The police need to take strict action against all those individuals, including minors, who drive rashly, and ensure that they are not allowed to drive vehicles. — Rohit Arora, shop owner

To make matters worse, several vends were put up on the road on Sunday, leading to the formation of a bottleneck on the road.

Despite the traffic police’s efforts to regulate the traffic, there has been no significant improvement in the condition. The police had also set up a separate lane for the autorickshaws, but the officials’ efforts turned out to be futile as three-wheeler drivers did not support them in its implementation. Even the police officials’ repetitive warnings to the autorickshaw drivers turned out to be ineffective.

Raman Kumar, who runs a shop along the road, said compared to 10 years ago, the city had witnessed a fivefold increase in the number of autorickshaws on the road, but no efforts were made by the authorities to widen the stretch. “In such a case, how can one expect the situation to improve?” he asked.

“With the arrival of electric autorickshaws, it won’t be surprising if there are more such vehicles than diesel or CNG autorickshaws on road in the coming future,” said Rohit Arora, another shop owner.

“Since it is easy to drive electric vehicles, I have seen many minors driving electric autorickshaws in the city in a rash manner. They have no idea about the traffic rules and regulations. The police need to take strict action against them to ensure that all those individuals, especially the minors, who drive rashly, are not allowed to drive vehicles,” he added.

The vexed commuters say that the Transport Department should take effective measures to manage the traffic by regulating the inflow of autorickshaws in the city. They say that immediate steps must be taken to deter the autorickshaw drivers from recklessly parking their vehicles on the road. In addition, they have suggested that a limit should be imposed on the selling of such three-wheelers to prevent the traffic chaos in the city.