Barbed wire at seven e-way spots in Noida to prevent jaywalking

NOIDA: Seven spots along the Noida-Greater Noida expressway that allow pedestrians to cross (or walk along) the carriageways on foot, will be blocked with barbed wire fencing.

The move follows directions from Noida Authority chairperson and CEO Rama Raman to enhance pedestrian safety. “The aim is to prevent neighbouring areas from accessing the road, especially in places where locals frequently cross the expressway on foot in large numbers,” said Sandeep Chandra, Noida traffic cell in-charge.

The seven spots identified along the expressway are near the most densely populated areas. “Fences will be put in place at every kilometre — near the HCL building in Sector 125 (chainage 800m), near Amity University (chainage 2,400m), near NIIT building in Sector 126 (chainage 2,800m), near Sector 105 (chainage 4,800m), at Sector 93 (chainage 6,800m), near village Garhi Shahdara in Sector 142 (chainage 11,200m) and at the Yamuna expressway intersection (chainage 21,600m),” Chandra said.

The decision was taken by Raman in April, when he asked Noida Police to carry out a survey along the expressway to study the pattern of pedestrian and vehicular traffic. He had directed officials to put up barbed fences along the outer edge of the expressway.

To help pedestrians cross the expressway, traffic police has, for long, demanded foot overbridges (FOBs) to save pedestrians from being run over by fast-moving traffic. One FOB has been installed near Amity University at Sector 125, while tenders for a second near Sector 168 have been initiated.