Human Traffic Light Brings Order to Indian Road Chaos

Sanjeev Trehan is a local hero who exemplifies the practice of community spirit in action.

Every morning for the past three years Mr. Trehan has – remarkably – waded into the middle of one of the worst congested roads in India and set about directing the traffic himself.

Dressed in casual pants and a tee shirt, the 52 year-old catering manager can be found between 8.30-10.30am controlling traffic flow through a notoriously congested underpass in Noida, on the outskirts of New Delhi.

As the Indian news website Prokerala reports:

“Every week from Monday to Friday, commuters on the busy Ghaziabad-Noida underpass on National Highway 24 adjoining the capital are greeted by an incongruous sight — a well-built man, clad in cargo pants and T-shirt, waving his arms frantically and hollering at the top of his voice, standing in the middle of a sea of honking cars.”

Prokerala quotes the extraordinary Mr. Trehan as saying:

“I started this as a social service after I was stuck here for 40 minutes a few years back and was shocked that no one cared to manage it for a while. And then I thought something should be done about it and here I am,” Trehan shrugs.

According to daily commuters, the first thing he does is to put up barriers… this leaves the underpass open for commuters from Indirapuram, Vasundhara, Vaishali and other adjoining areas to use to reach their offices in Noida.

This simple traffic management trick — giving preference to the office-bound traffic, which vastly outnumbers carscoming from Noida — has benefited both sides as the entire area is free of bottlenecks.”

Mr. Trehan’s volunteer traffic calming routine has made a significant difference to the commuters who faced a daily nightmare.

Anubhav Sinha … said: “First, I thought he must be a cop but later I came to know about him through my neighbours. Whenever I see him, I always thank him and tell him that he is doing a great job for society.”

Seema Chaudhary, a lecturer, too is all praise for Trehan. “Hard to believe that in this age such a man exists; otherwise who cares. Hats off to him,” she said.

Even the local traffic police are grateful for Mr. Trehan’s one-man contribution to road safety.

“He has been doing this for quite some time. And we appreciate that. Like him, more people should come forward,” said a constable on duty at Indirapuram.”