Noida police bans entry of goods carriers, autos on key stretches during peak hours
Cancelling all previous orders banning the entry of certain kind of vehicles on certain stretches, the Noida traffic police on Wednesday issued another set of orders to streamline traffic on major routes in Noida and Greater Noida, said senior police officers.
The new restriction applies to the Noida-Greater Noida Expressway and MP 1, MP 2, and MP 3 roads from 7am to 11am and 5pm to 10pm, they said, adding that during these hours, entry of all goods vehicles, auto-rickshaws, and e-rickshaws will be banned on these routes.
The traffic police measures align with the recent guidelines from the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) under Stage 1 of the graded response action plan (Grap) that came into force on October 14.
The guideline emphasises the importance of ensuring smooth traffic flow on congested corridors, strict vigilance, and enforcement of pollution under control (PUC) norms, and zero tolerance for visible emissions.
“The new restrictions came into effect on Wednesday and they aim to manage traffic congestion on key routes during peak hours. Previously, heavy goods carriers were banned during peak hours, but small and medium goods carriers were not. Now, all categories of goods vehicles will face restrictions,” said Yamuna Prasad, deputy commissioner of police, traffic.
“Goods vehicles will be restricted on the Noida expressway on both carriageways, as well as on Udhyog Marg, from Sector 15 roundabout to Jhundpura Chowk; Sector 2/3 to Sector 12/56; and Atta Peer to Sector 54 via DM Chowk and Jalvayu Vihar Chowk,” he said.
According to the Noida traffic police advisory, additional routes will include MP 1, MP 2, and MP 3 roads. MP 1 connects DND Flyway to Sector 62 via Rajnigandha Chowk, Sector 12/22/56, Sector 57, Khoda Tiraha, and Labour Chowk. MP 2 connects Film City flyover to Sector 60 underpass, and MP 3 connects Okhla Barrage to Kisan Chowk via Mahamaya Flyway, Sector 37, Shahshi Chowk, and City Centre Metro.
Auto-rickshaws and e-rickshaws will also not be permitted from Atta Peer to Atta Chowk during peak hours. Slow-moving vehicles such as autos, e-rickshaws, and bullock carts are also prohibited on the Noida-Greater Noida Expressway.
Lal Babu, president, Noida auto-rickshaw association, said, “Prohibiting auto-rickshaws in Atta Chowk is not a good decision. If any auto-rickshaw driver has a passenger to drop at Atta Chowk during peak hour, what will he do?”
“Allowing cabs and banning auto-rickshaws is unethical. If any auto driver halts there and creates congestion, the traffic police can penalise that driver, but prohibiting autos from plying on key stretches during peak hours will not streamline traffic,” said Babu.
Akshay Gupta, a resident of Sector 26, said, “With these new restrictions, I hope traffic congestion will ease during peak hours, making our daily commute more smoother and less stressful.”
“Banning goods vehicles and auto-rickshaws during peak hour will not decongest the key points in any way. Instead of prohibiting vehicles, the traffic police should work on the key points of congestion, such as encroachment, traffic issues, and making people aware of lane driving and other traffic rules,” said Brajesh Sharma, a member of the 7X welfare team, working on traffic issues in Noida.
