Day 1: Picnic time along eway

Some bikers used the highway as a racing track taking advantage of the police announcement that no one would be booked for over-speeding till Independence Day. Though no accident was reported on Day One,lack of U-turns had many driving on the wrong side of the road.

Officials of Jaypee said the number of vehicles,which used the expressway on the first day,was higher than expected. “At the toll plaza in Jewar,between 6 am and 6 pm,around 15,000 vehicles passed through. Most of these vehicles took the turn at the interchange to Mathura on account of Janmashtami,while others drove straight to Agra,” Anoop Marwah,in charge of the command centre in Jewar,said.

Commuters were more than delighted with their experience on the stretch. “Normally,by the highway from the Ghaziabad side,it would take four hours to get to Mathura. I go there every year for the Janamashtami puja. But today,at the speed at which I’m going,I’ll get there in half an hour or so,” said Mahesh Kapoor,a motorist.

Then there were those who came from Delhi,after having read in newspapers that the expressway was toll-free till August 15. “We read reports of how good the road was and came to see it. The green embankments and the wide open spaces on either side of the road were so beautiful that we stopped to have a picnic here. The outing was a welcome break from the congested roads of Delhi,” said Sanjeev Kumar,who came with his family of four.

However,some commuters had one reason to complain — the lack of U-turns. “All U-turns were blocked,so we had to drive back on the wrong side of the road. We didn’t know if there would be a U turn at the toll plaza so we turned back the same way,” said Alok Singh.

Low-flying birds and stray animals on the road also gave commuters some anxiety. Kumar said,“Twice or thrice,birds flew right in front of my car and I had to swerve to avoid them. At least in four places,I saw stray dogs lying injured in the middle of the road. At these high speeds,such things can cause accidents.”

Around 3 pm,two men on superbikes took to the expressway,whizzing past cars at excessively high speeds. Jaypee officials said while most kept to the speed limit,there were cases of speeding,but no prosecution took place. “It is the first day. We don’t want to put off people from taking the expressway. Strict monitoring will start after August 15. Those found driving on the wrong side,speeding and other violations will be stopped at the toll plaza,” an official said.