Concerned with the increasing numbers of deaths on Yamuna expressway, the Noida Traffic Police has come up with action plan to prevent them in the future. The Traffic Police has found that the country’s longest expressway that connects Greater Noida to Agara is poorly lit. One of the biggest reasons of increasing numbers of deaths on e-way is that there are no streets lights except on the toll plazas. Moreover, the express way becomes unsafe especially during winters due to fog.
Also, speeding has been found to be biggest cause of accidents. Officials have asked the concerned authorities to provide some resources including streetlights on both side of central verge to minimise fatalities on the road.
The Noida Traffic Police has also started their own control room at Jewer toll plaza with deployment of traffic personnel. The control room has been made functional from Friday.
According to traffic police, total 23 fatal accidents took place on 40 km stretch between Greater Noida to Jewer on Yamuna Express Way till September this year in which 20 people were killed in crashes and 12 got grievously injured.
Noida’s Superintendent of Police (Traffic), Ram Naman Yadav said, “There is no lighting facility on the 165 km long stretch of Yamuna Express Way between Greater Noida to Agra except lighting around three toll plazas. Only 10 per cent of the total express way is covered with street lights, which is less than of any normal street in the country.”
“We have asked the Expressway authority governed by Jaypee to install streetlights as winter is round the corner. Also, we have suggested for providing four patrolling vehicles, one hydraulic crane, two medium cranes, two ambulances, two quick response vehicles and two interceptor vehicles to conduct rescue operation,” Yadav added.
“We have also suggested in our report to give clear lane marking and blinkers cat eye on the stretch,” Yadav informed.
The SP (traffic), however, said the official of Yamuna expressway highway Vikash Onial has assured to install street lights on e-way soon. “They are planning to install street lights but action has been taken as of yet. Onial told me that most of the e-way areas are untouched with power supply and even there are no electricity pillars along e-way. We have advised to start street lights with support of solar energy system,” the SP stated.
“The first Jewer toll plaza is only under Noida traffic police jurisdiction. We prosecute at least 30 vehicles every day through CCTV cameras put on key points. After the new control room becoming operational at Jewer toll plaza, we will directly collect challans from the violators there itself,” the SP Traffic added.