NOIDA: Gaur Chowk has been seeing jams during peak hours since the opening of Parthala Flyover in June this year. While the flyover has ensured smooth traffic flow on the Parthala stretch, commuters bear the brunt around 2.5km ahead at Gaur Chowk, where vehicles from Noida, Greater Noida (Surajpur), Crossings Republik and Delhi-Meerut Expressway converge.Apart from the heavy traffic volume, a police booth in the middle of the road, encroachments, a faulty roundabout design, and the lack of an underpass and pedestrian crossing leave the crossing choked. Last year, the traffic police blocked two arms of the roundabout and created two u-turns to facilitate commuting, but that did not ease the congestion substantially.The Gaur Chowk crossing at the heart of Greater Noida West has become a crossroads of opportunity and frustration. What should be a gateway to seamless connectivity has turned into a maze of standstill vehicles and a daily struggle for commuters. The story behind Gaur Chowk unveils a complex blend of urban development, population growth, and the quest for solutions.An exponential growth of residential complexes and commercial establishments in Greater Noida West has led to a surge in vehicles, but the road infrastructure is almost the same.Punit Kohli, a resident of Saya Zion in Gaur City, said, Nearly 1 lakh people live in Gaur City. The traffic volume has immensely increased while infrastructure remains the same. The free flow of traffic from Parthala Flyover chokes Gaur Chowk.Amarjeet Rathore, a resident of 6th Avenue in Gaur City, said, The traffic situation during peak hours in the morning and evening is terrible. The Greater Noida Authority planned to develop an underpass there, but no update on it yet. We will see jams till the infrastructure is improved.During an inspection last month, a team of the Greater Noida Authority and traffic police found a police check post at Gaur Chowk halting traffic movement from Noida to Greater Noida West. The team also found that a three-lane service road outside Gaur City Mall remains unused. Also, autos, cabs and e-rickshaws encroach on the road at different places.Ankita Singh, another resident of 12th Avenue, said, There is a lack of sensitisation among people. Several illegal food stalls have cropped up along the road near Gaur Chowk. Many people park their cars on the roadside and eat at these stalls in the evening. The unauthorised parking creates jams.Anurag Kulshreshtra, president of road safety NGO Trax, said, The roundabout design is also faulty. The road is wide when traffic comes from the Noida side but narrows down just after crossing the roundabout. People also drive on the wrong side of the service lane to use the roundabout, slowing down traffic and leading to jams, he said.Gaur Chowk also lacks a FOB or subway for pedestrians to cross the road, with people walking amid vehicles and slowing them down.Sunil Singh, traffic inspector, said, Ten personnel are deployed at Gaur Chowk to manage traffic. The nearly five lakh-population of Greater Noida West uses this route. People use personal vehicles to go to the office, and several school buses transport children in the morning and evening hours. There is traffic congestion from 7-10am and 5-9pm, he said.Singh said the congestion is due to the large volume of vehicles but claimed there are no unauthorised encroachments in the area.A senior official with the Greater Noida Authority said there are plans to develop an underpass at Gaur Chowk. We have selected a company for designing the underpass, and the work is in the final stages. We will soon float a tender for developing the underpass to ease the jams. The work would take two years, he said.

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