No cameras to monitor over speeding, Elevated Road poses major risk to commuters

The six-lane Elevated Road linking Sector 18 to Sector 62 has witnessed an increase in accidents after the removal of four high-speed cameras, which has resulted in the lack of active monitoring providing drivers with free rein to speed.

The 4.8-kilometre-long road, inaugurated in June 2017, recently saw the installation of beautification lights by the Noida authority, leading to the removal of the cameras near Iskcon Temple by the Traffic police.

Meanwhile, according to traffic police, the cameras were removed as the new fibre poles installed by the authority were not able to handle the weight of the high-speed cameras.

Since their removal, two major accidents have occurred within a span of two months.

The first incident took place on June 11, claiming the lives of two bike-borne journalists, Manoj Kumar, 45, and Gaurav Singh, 35, when a speeding pickup van struck their bike from behind near Iskcon Temple. In another event, a scooter rider lost his life on July 23 after being hit by a speeding car on the Elevated Road.

In response to the concerning situation, Rajesh Kumar, DGM of Electricity and Maintenance in the Noida authority, said, “A tender to install 30 high-speed plus Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras has been approved. These cameras will be placed at all entry and exit points of the Elevated Road within 15 days. Additionally, the option to reinstall the old cameras has been extended to the traffic police, with extra poles provided by the authority.”

According to traffic volunteer Amit Yadav, the absence of traffic police monitoring on the Elevated Road has led to rampant overspeeding and poses a significant danger to other commuters.

Daily commuters like Rakesh Gupta, a resident of Sector 19, express concern over the reckless driving and lack of surveillance on the Elevated Road, prompting him to avoid biking on it, except in emergencies. “I always avoid riding my bike on the Elevated Road due to rash driving and no monitoring. I only prefer to take the bridge in an emergency to avoid traffic signals,” he said.

Meanwhile, Suniti, (traffic) DCP, said that a letter has been written to the Noida authority traffic cell, urging the installation of high-speed monitoring and regular cameras to deter speeding and enhance safety. “The traffic police plan to conduct a drive to penalize drivers exceeding speed limits soon,” she added.

Ashutosh Singh, traffic inspector, headquarter, said, “Elevated Road is the only road in Noida that traffic police are unable to monitor. We have asked the authority to cover the entry exits plus all the loop entry-exit points of the Elevated Road.”

“During peak hours, overspeeding was uncommon, but after 10pm, vehicles tend to speed, leading to a surge in accidents in the past two months,” Inspector Singh added.

A viral video surfaced, depicting multiple vehicles violating traffic rules by riding in the wrong lane due to congestion near Iskcon Temple on the Elevated Road. Despite numerous signboards along the road indicating speed limits for buses and cars, no stopping, no parking, no overtaking, and the presence of CCTV surveillance, the lack of active monitoring has contributed to the dangerous conditions prevailing on the Elevated Road.