Chandigarh’s planning model key to resolving highway traffic chaos: High Court

Citing Chandigarh’s model of keeping markets tucked away from main roads, the Punjab and Haryana High Court on Thursday indicated that unchecked roadside shops along highways were fuelling traffic chaos and the city’s planning held the key to easing such bottlenecks.

“I have learned this from the way Chandigarh is designed—that there’s a solution to this. Don’t allow the shops to be open towards the road. The moment you do that, everybody wants access, the traffic increases, the parking is a problem. The concept here is very good, that the markets are all inside; these are not on the road. You are not permitted to open your gate towards the road,” Chief Justice Sheel Nagu asserted.

Referring to the centripetal forces triggered by development, Chief Justice Nagu pointed out that efforts to streamline traffic were often nullified by rapid population growth. “The problem in India is because of the population explosion. You make an elevated road and it gets down at a point where earlier there was no population. Suddenly, you find that after 10 years there is a so much population and the entire exercise goes in futility,” the court observed.

The assertions came during the hearing of a bunch of petitions, including one filed in public interest by Harish Kumar Puri for streamlining the flow of traffic for avoiding accidents. In his petition filed way back in 1998, Puri had asked for the construction of rumble strips along with the traffic signals at the crossings. He had stated that his 27-year-old son Ashok Puri had died on May 14, 1996, due to a complete failure of the signal system.

The matter since its inception is being pursued by the Sarin Memorial Legal Aid Foundation through its secretary-general-cum-senior advocate M.L. Sarin. Appearing before the Bench of Chief Justice Nagu and Justice Sanjiv Berry, Sarin said a lot was still let to be done.

Sarin submitted that highways often failed to indicate diversions or even toll plazas well in advance. “Instead of putting up a board a kilometre earlier, they have a single sign on the highway crammed with information. Motorists driving at 100 kilometres per hour do not have time to read it and understand what they are supposed to do.”

Appearing for the National Highway Authority of India, senior advocate Chetan Mittal asserted that the authority has decided to take the main roads out of the cities. “Now it is elevated road… Only Chandigarh-Ambala stretch is left because of some land acquisition dispute”.

Chandigarh