Noida: Residents of RG Residency and several other high-rise societies in Sectors 119 and 120 are facing severe traffic congestion at the RG Residency crossing, particularly during school opening and closing hours.
Traffic situation has worsened in recent days following the opening of Delhi Public School on the main road. The area is surrounded by around eight housing societies, with several thousand families depending on the connecting road for their daily commute.
Residents
The road is also an important route for residents travelling towards Delhi and Gurugram, making congestion during morning office hours particularly troublesome.
School traffic adds to the congestion
According to residents, a major reason for the daily traffic jams is the movement of school buses and private vehicles during school hours.
Parents arriving to drop off or pick up their children allegedly park vehicles along the roadside or near the school, reducing the available road space. Residents also claim that traffic management by school security personnel sometimes leads to vehicles being stopped for extended periods.
The resulting congestion affects not only parents and schoolchildren but also thousands of residents travelling to offices and other destinations.
Wasim Haider, a resident of RG Residency, said that crossing the DPS stretch has become particularly difficult during school hours.
“While taking my son to school, it has become extremely difficult to cross the DPS stretch. Even when my son’s school bus returns from school, it takes a long time to cross the area. While going to office, I have also seen DPS security guards blocking the entire road to allow school buses to pass, bringing traffic to a standstill. At times, the security staff takes considerable time to move the buses despite the long queue of vehicles behind them. Better traffic management and more disciplined handling of school buses could prevent much of this unnecessary congestion.”
Wasim Haider, Resident, RG Residency
Residents say the problem is bigger than school traffic
Residents say the traffic problem should not be viewed only as a school-hour issue. According to them, Sectors 119 and 120 have been facing a serious and long-pending traffic and road-infrastructure problem.
“The traffic congestion faced by residents of Sectors 119 and 120 is a serious and long-pending infrastructure issue. School traffic from DPS and Millennium School certainly adds to the problem during opening and closing hours, but roadside parking, encroachment by shops and the poor condition of the roads further reduce the usable road width. The alternative road through Yadu Public School and Raghav Public School has still not been constructed, leaving thousands of residents dependent on the already-congested route. Potholes and poor road conditions also create serious safety risks for residents, schoolchildren, two-wheelers and emergency vehicles. Despite the problem affecting residents on a daily basis, there is still no visible permanent solution from the authority. The authorities need to look at the issue comprehensively rather than addressing temporary traffic congestion for a few hours each day.”
Alok Tiwari, Resident, RG Residency
Alternative Road Still Awaited
Residents say the absence of an alternative connecting road has further aggravated the situation.
According to them, the proposed route through the Yadu Public School and Raghav Public School side has not yet been constructed, leaving residents dependent on the existing road.
Residents believe that completing the alternative route could help distribute traffic and reduce pressure on the RG Residency crossing.
Roadside parking and potholes add to the problem
Residents have also raised concerns over roadside parking and alleged encroachment by shops along the route.
They say that vehicles parked on the roadside and reduced road width due to encroachments make it difficult for traffic to move smoothly, particularly when school buses and private vehicles are present.
Poor road conditions and potholes are another concern. Residents say these create additional risks for two-wheelers, pedestrians and schoolchildren and can also delay emergency vehicles.
Residents demand permanent traffic solution
Residents have urged the Noida Traffic Police and Noida Authority to take immediate steps to address the congestion at the RG Residency crossing.
One of their key demands is the installation of traffic signal lights at the RG Residency crossing in Sector 120, along with better traffic management during school hours.
Residents have also called for regulation of roadside parking, removal of encroachments, improvement of road conditions and construction of the alternative connecting road.
They believe that coordination between the Noida Authority, Traffic Police, schools and resident associations is necessary to find a permanent solution.
For thousands of families living in Sectors 119 and 120, the daily traffic jam has become more than an inconvenience. Residents say the growing population, increasing school traffic and inadequate road infrastructure require a long-term traffic management plan rather than temporary measures.
