Traffic snarls expected to rise as celebrations move into high gear

That the festive season has begun in the city can now be gauged by the traffic snarls being reported from various bottleneck zones. Commuters are now facing snarls due to heavy traffic that congests routes along venues which host Navratri pandals. The situation is expected to escalate as the festivities move into high gear across the Capital.

The real time traffic data shared by TomTom showed a travel time of over 26 minutes to cover 10 kms at 6.18 pm on Saturday. Traffic jams were reported from 810 spots. October is the worst month for road users as major sales are on in the markets for the festival season, and many navratri and Durga puja pandals also come up.

The latest update on Saturday said from SSN Marg to Mehrauli to Wazirabad road and Rohtak Road to Maa Anandmai Marg from Crown Plaza towards Kalkaji Mandir, traffic was either jammed or moved at a very slow pace during peak hours. The reason behind the traffic jams are broken roads, construction works, heavy volume of traffic and waterlogging.

All major stretches including Britania Chowk, Azadpur Mandi, Jhandewalan temple, Hanuman Mandir, Netaji Subhash Marg, Mehrauli Badarpur road, Vikas Marg, Delhi-Gurugram road, witnessed huge traffic throughout the day.

Due to heavy vehicular flow, Delhi traffic police issued alerts and advised commuters to plan carefully while using such stretches.  Commuters faced snarls as traffic was affected in front of 14, Ashoka Road in the carriageway from C-Hexagon towards Windsor Palace due to a damaged road. The road has been broken for the past few days and is one of the most prominent roads in the New Delhi area. 

Commuters faced a tough time as traffic was badly affected on Wazirabad Road on the foot of Khajuri Flyover in the carriageway from Khajuri Chowk towards Bhajanpura due to over turning of an HTV and LGV.

According to traffic police, a massive jam was reported during the peak hours on GTK Road in the carriageway from Mukarba Chowk towards Azadpur due to overflow of drain water.

In another post, the traffic police said the traffic  will be affected on SSN Marg in the carriageway from Satbari towards Mehrauli due to drain work being carried out by the civic agency. “Commuters are advised to plan their journey accordingly”, it said.

Heavy traffic was also reported from around Khalsa College. “Due to construction work being carried out by DMRC, GTK Road from Shakti Nagar Chowk towards Ghantaghar will remain closed and traffic coming from Azadpur will be compulsorily diverted left towards Khalsa college. Commuters are advised to plan their journey accordingly”, it said.

Traffic was affected on Rohtak Road in the carriageway from Nangloi towards Tikri Border and vice versa due to potholes and water logging. Heavy traffic was reported on Maa Anandmai Marg in the carriageway from Crown Plaza towards Kalkaji temple due to breakdown of a Trala containing iron rods near Nathu Sweets red light. “Commuters are advised to plan their journey accordingly,” the traffic police advisory said.

Last year, a survey by the Delhi traffic police confirmed what commuters have been complaining about over the past few months - a significant increase in traffic congestion across the National Capital.

The reasons, according to the survey, vary from constructions to encroachments, illegal parkings to a rise in motor vehicles after the pandemic. Conducted between January and September this year, the survey has identified at least 117 road stretches and 10 flyovers as the key traffic congestion points in Delhi.

The survey states that the southern and northern part of the city top the list with 25 and 27 key traffic points respectively. According to the survey, heavier volume of traffic on the roads, ongoing construction activities such as building of flyovers; widening, repair and re-carpeting of roads; encroachment; improper parking of vehicles; and unregulated pedestrian movement are the main reasons for congestion.

The 25 traffic points identified in southern part of Delhi include areas such as Yusuf Sarai market in front of Safdarjung hospital, Rangpuri roundabout under NH-48 flyover, Andheria Mor and CDR Chowk on Mehrauli-Gurugram (MG) Road, the roads under Chirag Delhi flyover, Savitri flyover-Outer Ring Road, Tara Apartment-Alaknanda Road, Mathura Road-Madanpur Khadar, Crowne Plaza-Maa Anandmayee Marg near Okhla, and both stretches of Shaheed Bijender Singh Gurjar Marg near Jaitpur.

As per the survey report, northern parts of the city that include areas in Rohini, northwest and outer-north have 27 traffic congestion points -  Netaji Subhash Marg (Delhi Gate to Nukkad Faiz Bazar), outside New Delhi railway station in Paharganj and Ajmeri Gate side, Rani Jhansi Road, Anand Parbat, Majnu ka Tila, in front of Tis Hazari court, and outside Red Fort on NS Marg, among others.