33 high-risk crossings riddle Ahmedabad roads

Ahmedabad: Every day, thousands of Amdavadis cross intersections that a recent Gujarat Road Safety Authority (GRSA) audit has flagged as dangerous ‘black spots' prone to accidents. Thirty-three of them have been mapped across the city's eastern industrial corridors as well as on the wide, western high-speed roads.The east bears a heavier burden. At Odhav Ring Road's BRTS bus stand — the city's most risk-fraught intersection — 30 accidents have claimed 13 lives since 2021. Naroda Patiya junction has recorded 14 deaths in 20 accidents. The Pirana crossroads and Narol Circle transit hubs, both important freight and commuter nodes, have together claimed 18 lives. The accident pattern and the cause are consistent — these are intersections involving conflicts between heavy vehicles and dense pedestrian traffic. New transport infrastructure has introduced fresh hazards. "At Rabari Colony Crossroads, Metro construction pillars stood without reflective sheeting, becoming reasons for nighttime collision," states the GRSA report. Safety experts intervened to have authorities install reflective markings alongside new zebra crossings and stop lines. "It was a preventable failure. Fortunately, action was taken before the toll mounted further," said a senior urban development department official. Western Ahmedabad, while recording fewer accidents in absolute numbers, offers no comfort. Iscon Road's statistics are particularly worrisome: 13 deaths from just 11 accidents. Juna Vadaj Circle's traffic geometry has long been overtaxed by volumes it was never designed to absorb. It has claimed 11 lives. In the recently emerging suburbs, the Bopal Vakil Saheb Bridge — a new construction — has logged 14 accidents. "We noted that an active traffic management plan was not built into the new infrastructure that came up in this stretch," the official said. The GRSA's response has been surgical at the point where the flyover has landed. "Unauthorized road cuts at Andaj Party Lawn Junction, used for illegal high-risk vehicle manoeuvring, have been permanently sealed," states the GRSA report. Permanent structural fixes, including flyovers at Cosy Hotel and Lambha T junction, remain to be executed. The BRTS median at Memco Crossroads has been entirely rebuilt to restore traffic discipline. Reinforced cement concrete is being used for road widening at Pirana-Piplaj Road and Narol Circle, while new street lighting from Narimanpura to Sarkhej Dholka Circle has been installed. Authorities here are also evaluating table-top pedestrian crossings at Bapunagar. Yet, the most stubborn dangers need more work. Ropda Crossroads — nine deaths, 14 accidents — and Jetalpur Highway — seven deaths, 9 accidents — carry fatality ratios demanding urgent intervention.