The transport department has suggested that the lay-bys be carved out near bus-queue shelters on city’s major roads, depending upon the space available
The Union Territory (UT) transport department has suggested having lay-bys on V1, V2, V3 and other major city roads where auto-rickshaws and buses can pull back from the normal flow of traffic and stop for a short time. Abroad, lay-bys are indented mostly near pedestrian pathways so that public vehicles may pick or drop passengers at a distance from the normal traffic lane. The issue will be taken up in a meeting of road safety committee, which is scheduled to take place this week.
Transport department has suggested that the lay-bys be carved out near bus-queue shelters on city’s major roads, depending upon the space available. ”Once the lay-bys are marked on the roads, the auto-rickshaws and buses can halt there. Anywhere else on the road, if the auto-rickshaws or buses stop, they shall be challaned,” a senior official told Chandigarh Newsline. Harman Sidhu, one of the members of the committee, said the traffic police are serious about this issue, but it depends on how the engineering wing carves out the space to create the lay-bys. “There have been many cases where these auto-rickshaw drivers stop all of a sudden in the moving traffic that causes accidents.”
Also, it has been proposed to have intensified checking of the auto-rickshaws and chalk out a mechanism of having verification cards or codes for the drivers, which can be scanned by passengers. Around 1,570 auto-rickshaws have been challaned by State Transport Authority from December 2017 to May 2018 for various violations. UT’s Chief Architect Kapil Setia has suggested that there should be a restriction on stopping or parking of vehicles within 75 m of an intersection or within 10 m of bus stops.
“Major problem is witnessed on Dakshin Marg, particularly on the stretch towards Zirakpur. Buses and auto rickshaws stop near Sector 35 roundabout, which is otherwise not a designated spot for them. This causes a bottleneck, especially during peak traffic hours”, Sidhu added.
The committee shall also discuss the issue of traffic congestion on Sector 22-17 dividing road (opposite ISBT, Sector 17). Removing bus stop on Sector 22 side shall also be discussed in the committee’s meeting. The agenda of discussion also includes “converting Sector 22 parking lot into a landscape and connecting it with ISBT through an overbridge”.