Tyre killers removed from Sector 50. (Express photo by Abhinav Saha) Tyre killers removed from Sector 50. (Express photo by Abhinav Saha)

The Noida Authority’s experiment to install tyre-killers to prevent people from driving on the wrong side seems to have failed, after commuters found ways to make their way around them. As a result, tyre-killers installed at the Noida Sector 77 North Eye Junction and in Sector 50/41 were removed by the Authority.

“One person would hold the tyre-killer down and let the other person pass. This posed a bigger threat to commuters as someone could get hurt. They were installed on a trial basis to test their effectiveness. There is no policy in place for them yet, but we are open to re-installing them in the future,” said Rajeev Tyagi, GM Operations (Noida Authority).

The ‘tyre killers’ have an elevation similar to that of a speed-breaker, with a slope on one side and metal spikes on the other.

The first set was installed at Sector 77 in January. Within 24 hours, a portion of the elevated metal strip came off due to incoming traffic. A repaired set with spring spikes was installed later at the same spot. A similar tyre-killer metal strip was installed at a U-turn in Sector 41/50. Both were removed four months ago.

Locals claimed people had found ways to get past the tyre-killer. “Initially, a couple of bikes came to our shop as their tyres had burst. Slowly, people began to either drive around it or would get someone to hold it down while they went over it,” said Waseem, who works at a tyre-repair shop at North Eye Junction.

Traffic Police claimed the fines under the new Motor Vehicles Act will act as a better deterrent to prevent driving on the wrong side. “We were informed that locals were stuffing stones or sand to jam the springs. Some would even loosen the strip from one end. Since it requires large-scale surveillance, it is hard to keep track of these activities. We are getting 450 extra personnel to monitor traffic to help us supervise better,” said Anil Jha, SP (Traffic).

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