Residents dread nightmarish commute through congested Greater Noida West
To be sure, there are multiple reasons behind the congestion, such as encroachments, wrong-side driving, lack of pick-up and drop-off facility area, absence of e-rickshaw parking stand, lack of underpasses and pedestrian crossing
Traffic congestion in Greater Noida West has turned a nightmare for its residents as vehicles heading towards Delhi-Meerut Expressway, Crossings Republik, and Greater Noida converge at Gaur Chowk, are stuck in long queues during peak traffic hours.
Several residents recently took to social media to highlight the problem. On Wednesday, Manish Kumar, a resident of Supertech Ecocillage 1 in Greater Noida West, posted a video on ‘X’, showing a long queue of vehicles crawling on Greater Noida West Road.
“The travel time in Greater Noida West has increased at least around 30 minutes in the last three to four months. To cross the 2km stretch, it takes around 45 minutes. During the monsoon there are potholes on the road near Gaur City Mall that slow down traffic coming from Parthala Flyover. Additionally, the traffic police also close the service lane,” said Kumar.
HT had reported on May 1 about the perennial traffic congestion at Gaur Chowk, and the Greater Noida authority said that “they planned an underpass to decongest the area”, but that work is yet to commence.
Many of the nearly 400,000 people living in high-rises and neighbouring villages of Greater Noida West face daily jams at the Gaur Chowk.
To be sure, there are multiple reasons behind the congestion, such as encroachments, wrong-side driving, lack of pick-up and drop-off facility area, absence of e-rickshaw parking stand, lack of underpasses and pedestrian crossing.
Gaur Chowk is also a major junction that connects the Delhi-Meerut Expressway, Crossings Republik, and Greater Noida.
Sumil Jalota, a resident of La Residentia in Greater Noida West, said, “The traffic situation around Gaur Chowk is getting worse by the day. The traffic police and authority should focus on the main issues for the residents of Greater Noida. The travel time is also increasing day by day. I often spend at least 15 to 30 minutes passing that congestion.”
Traffic officials said efforts were on to address the situation.
“We are working in coordination with the Greater Noida authority to decongest the Greater Noida West traffic. Additionally, we have identified some minor changes, such as cuts and diversion, that will reduce that traffic, and additional traffic police personnel are also being deployed during the peak hours,” said Yamuna Prasad, deputy commissioner of police, Noida (traffic).
Notably, the Greater Noida authority has a plan to develop a six-lane underpass on the Taj Highway, connecting Greater Noida to Gaur City and then the Delhi-Meerut Expressway. This 720-metre-long underpass is expected to intersect with the proposed Noida Metro Rail Corporation’s Greater Noida West Metro line and be ready in 18 months. However, no progress has been made on this project.
Ravi Kumar NG, chief executive officer, Greater Noida Industrial Development Authority (GNIDA) and Narottam Singh, senior manager of the authority, could not be contacted over the status of the proposed underpass despite several attempts.