Sudden speed change a threat near Sarita Vihar

NEW DELHI: The temporary U-turns on GD Birla Marg connecting the Sarita Vihar underpass with Kalindi Kunj, created by breaking down the central verge and putting up plastic barriers, has created a lot of problems for commuters. For one, danger lurks on the stretch near Shaheen Bagh where the average speed is 60kmph. And then these turns are not visible to drivers after dark.
GD Birla Marg is a primary approach road for vehicles going from Noida to south Delhi and vice-versa.Not only is the underpass unmarked, often causing traffic snarls, but the U-turns too have been haphazardly created.
The road sections at the U-turns are now bereft of paving, slowing down the vehicles and in turn blocking one lane of the four-lane road. Cars parked on the carriageway at Jasola Vihar and Shaheen Bagh further reduce the space available to commuters, causing a constriction. Drivers taking the U-turns on either side of the road are thrown into a rush of incoming traffic.
“Our idea of the U-turn was to reduce snarls at the Jasola Vihar-GD Birla Marg intersection. However, it is up to the municipal corporation to construct a permanent U-turn rather than leave it in this hazardous state,” said a traffic police officer. Two years ago, Maheish Girri, the MP for the area, took up the matter with the Union urban affairs ministry and a U-turn was constructed for vehicles to access the carriageway going to Sarita Vihar. But this did not serve the traffic exiting Jasola.
The narrow strip left for cars going straight towards Noida because of the U-turn is a matter of concern, especially during the peak hours. What only add to this chaos are the dim street lighting and the 40-metre decrepit road section, which has not been relaid for months despite promises of all such erosions being repaired.
“There were instances of vehicles involved in accidents in the just concluded rainy season when the sludge at the U-turns and potholed road affected movement,” said Parveen Murtaza, who owns a shop near the U-turn at Shaheen Bagh.