Tyre-killers, yellow box: Lack of maintenance, awareness pose challenge to road initiatives

This was after the Ahmedabad Traffic Police gave a list of 18 sites in the city where wrong-side driving was rampant.

Ahmedabad Traffic Police, Ahmedabad tyre-killers, wrong-side driving, yellow box, Lack of maintenance, awareness pose challenge, deli Chanakyapuri area, indian express news

With the yellow box junction at Panjrapol in Ahmedabad, AMC eyes decongestion. (Express File Photo)

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In a fresh initiative launched earlier this month to target wrong-side driving, the Ahmedabad Traffic Police installed ‘tyre-killers’ in the Chanakyapuri area with an aim to deter potential violators. “Severe damage” – read the signs alongside the spikes with a warning to those coming from the opposite side.

But the initiative, which was said to be one of the first-of-its-kind in the state, seems to have lost steam before it could bring about a visible impact. In the Chanakyapuri area, where the first such ‘tyre-killers’ were installed, residents told The Indian Express a spring was already loose, rendering the installation ineffective. This was the second such road initiative the city saw after “a yellow box” was painted at Panjrapole crossroads to prevent crisscrossing of vehicles.

On August 9, while hearing a public interest litigation, the Gujarat High Court suggested the installation of cameras near ‘tyre-killers’.

This was after the Ahmedabad Traffic Police gave a list of 18 sites in the city where wrong-side driving was rampant.

Fifteen of these were identified on the SG Highway — the stretch where 20-year-old Tathya Patel allegedly crashed a speeding Jaguar into a crowd, killing nine. The incident drew nationwide criticism.

The areas where wrong-side driving has been rampant also included Sola Bridge, Gota 4 crossroads, Karnavati crossroads, Iskcon crossroads, and Pakwan crossroads, among others.

The Indian Express visited the sites after the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) painted the yellow box at Panjrapole crossroads and ‘tyre-killers’ were set up near Chanakyapuri’s Service Road.

The yellow box was painted on one of the busiest junctions in the city to decongest traffic and discourage people from standing in the box. Authorities aimed at fewer violations and smoother movement of traffic.

“People don’t have any awareness about the yellow box. Even now, some people suddenly stop in the box, and there are frequent wrong lane and signal violations,” said a traffic police personnel posted at the Panjrapole crossroads point.

“There should be a system for imposing fines on violators soon, otherwise, the traffic situation won’t change,” he added.

Meanwhile, Hansha Katariya, Sarkhej traffic police inspector in charge of the Panjrapole junction, said: “Traffic has been better after the use of yellow box. Awareness is lacking, and that is the reason behind violations. Once that gets fixed, violations should come down.”

At Chanakyapuri, frequent lane violations were observed by bicycles, motorbikes, and carts. People found creative ways to bypass the system put in place. While some people picked their bicycles to cross the tyre killer, others momentarily put their feet on the blade pedal and let other bikers take the wrong way into the service lane.

The installation also seemed to be a fresh challenge for violators. Some bikers brute-forced their way into the tyre killer and used the small gaps and loose springs to cross it efficiently while violating the wrong-side rule.

Vijay Mistry, Joint Director (Traffic) at AMC, said, “Along with the yellow box, tyre-killers, AMC will also undertake the junction development which will also be for traffic discipline.”