Blinding, oversized billboards making Greater Noida roads accident-prone

Noida: Residents of Greater Noida have flagged unchecked advertisement boards that were not just allowing public spaces to be steadily overtaken by commercial messaging, but were also creating safety risks. Large advertisement boards, they claimed, have sprung up on central verges, green belts and traffic circles in the busiest traffic intersections, including Pari Chowk, Ryan International School roundabout in Beta 1, Amrit Puram roundabout in Sector Gamma 1. While such advertisements are in most cases linked to private maintenance contracts, arrangements meant to offset upkeep costs, residents alleged that maintenance suffered, with broken fixtures and overgrown trees.
Commuters navigating Pari Chowk after sundown told TOI that bright LED-lit advertisements also distract drivers and obscure traffic signage, increasing the risk of accidents. Similar complaints have emerged from residential sectors including Alpha, Beta, Delta, Gamma and Omicron roundabouts."The problem is not just aesthetics, it is safety," said Harinder Bhati, general secretary of the RWA in Sector Beta 1. "These hoardings compromise visibility and take away from Greater Noida's green character. The cost of maintaining roundabouts and green belts is not so high that the Authority cannot manage it directly," he said.Residents' bodies also pointed out that small promotional posters, mostly advertising paying guest accommodation and rental housing, were being pasted indiscriminately on directional signboards, electric poles, bus stops and boundary walls. Many of these posters obscured essential information meant for motorists and pedestrians, residents claimed.Bhati, who wrote to the Greater Noida Industrial Development Authority CEO on Wednesday, questioned the lack of enforcement. "These posters carry phone numbers and clear identifiers. Why is no action being taken against those defacing public infrastructure?" he asked.Other resident representatives echoed the concern, saying the issue reflected a broader struggle to balance rapid urban growth with civic discipline. "Development should not come at the cost of public safety and visual chaos," said Mohit Bhati, another local resident. "Greater Noida was known for its open spaces and orderly planning. That identity is slowly being diluted. The Authority should take action against all such defacement of public property "In their representations to GNIDA, resident groups have called for stricter regulation of outdoor advertising, removal of unauthorised boards and posters, and restoration of clear, readable signage across sectors.Authority officials said some commercial boards are permitted under the build-own-operate-transfer (BOOT) model, but maintained that unauthorised defacement would not be tolerated. "Action will be taken against illegal advertisements and damage to public property," an official said, adding that enforcement drives would be stepped up.