The newly built concrete road divider at Mangalabag crossing in Cuttack (picture by Badrika Nath Das) and (above) the report published in The Telegraph on July 7, 2011

Cuttack, Feb. 17: Traffic chaos at Mangalabag crossing is likely to end as concrete measures have now been taken by the traffic officials to plug loopholes.

A concrete road divider has been constructed by replacing the delineators (tall plastic pylons mounted on the road surface). This has put a check on the rampant traffic violation at the busy junction.

“It has been two days since the construction of the concrete road. We hope that this is will end the traffic chaos at the crossing,” said Ritesh Das, a local resident.

According to Das, many commuters used the wide gaps between the delineators to cross over instead of waiting at the signal. This created traffic chaos and often led to minor accidents.

According to local residents, earlier vehicles coming from Nuapatna would violate the traffic rules by going through the gaps between the delineators, which were damaged at many places, creating problems for commuters coming from the SCB Medical College and Hospital.

There is usually a heavy rush and traffic congestion at Mangalabag Square, where many government institutions and diagnostic centres and nursing homes are located. “There is not a single parking lot from Mangalabag traffic signal up to SCB Medical College and Hospital Road. As a result, many autorickshaws, motorcycles and four wheelers can be found parked on the roadside. This creates traffic congestion,” said Samir Khan, a commuter.

In a report published on July 7 last year, The Telegraph had pointed out the violations because of the gaps between the delineators at the Mangalabag signal. After this, the police swung into action and stop boards were subsequently installed to check violations. Similarly, with the establishment of a permanent road divider it is likely to streamline the traffic at Mangalabag.

The traffic violations at Ranihat have also come to an end as a similar concrete road divider has replaced the delineators in December last year.

According to the traffic officials, steps are being taken to streamline traffic at various parts of the city.

“Concrete road dividers have been set up at Mangalabag. Earlier, a similar concrete road divider was installed at the Ranihat crossing. Besides this, there is a proposal to create a parking place on the drain near SCB Medical campus,” a traffic official said.