Traffic in the Capital on the first day of the New Year turned smiles into stress as lakhs of people were stuck for hours waiting for their vehicles to move.
What went wrong this year as compared to better traffic situation in the previous years? Special Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Dependra Pathak said the primary reason was massive crowds near India Gate.
“The number of pedestrians this time was three to four times more than the previous years. Usually, it’s around 70,000-80,000. But, on Monday, it was over 2.5 lakh,” he said.
Adding to that, was the volume of vehicles coming to C-Hexagon from not only east, central, and south Delhi but Noida and Gurugram, he said.
Another reason which worsened the situation, Mr Pathak claimed, was devotees coming to Bangla Sahib Gurudwara.
Mr. Pathak said that pedestrians took over the roads around India Gate and it became impossible for the traffic staff to control them. “They tried to scatter the crowd towards the park,” he said.
Travel pattern
However, experts suggested that the havoc created due to traffic was a result of lack of planning by the authorities.
Professor P.K. Sarkar, director (transportation) at Asian Institute of Transport Development, said that authorities should have studied the travel pattern on Sunday and taken measures accordingly.
“Technology has made studying the travel pattern very easy. One can just look at Google Maps to determine the pattern and decide what needs to be done,” he said.
Suggesting measures, Mr. Sarkar said that diverting traffic away from critical points is a necessary step. “Most people don’t read the traffic advisory shared by the Traffic Police on various media. An important step is to broadcast authentic traffic updates on radio channels and television,” he said. The traffic started worsening around 12 noon to 1 p.m.
‘No space to walk’
Another traffic expert Dr. S. Gangopadhyay, Central Road Research Institute’s former director, stressed on the importance of properly maintained walking spaces.
“If the walking spaces and footpaths around India Gate were only meant for walking, the situation would have been better. The reason why people took to roads is because they don’t have space to walk and there’s no management,” Dr. Gangopadhyay said.
As a long-term measure, Dr. Gangopadhyay suggested that the authorities should conduct a stock-taking exercise of the traffic situation at vulnerable points every few years and implement necessary restrictions where needed.
