Traffic jams, potholes, broken patches make it dangerous for two wheeler commuters

New Rohtak Road, one of the most densely populated areas connecting Mundka and Tikri Border is arguably the worst road in the National Capital. It has huge traffic jams round the clock and is also dangerous for two wheeler commuters due to potholes and broken roads. A major arterial road that links north, northwest, west Delhi to Central and New Delhi, heavy traffic and consequent snarls are common here with stoppage sometimes extending over two to three hours.

Addressing a press conference along with Aam Aadmi Party national convener and former chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, Delhi Chief Minister Atishi on Monday admitted that New Rohtak Road is the worst road in the capital city. “One of the most problematic roads identified during the inspection is New Rohtak Road, which passes through Nangloi and Mundka, leading to Tikri Border. This road is possibly the worst in Delhi today. The population in its surrounding unauthorised colonies has increased and the drainage system needs upgrading,” Atishi said, adding “work on the new drain and road will begin within four weeks.”

In this traffic jams series, we have been highlighting that poor traffic management, and broken roads lead to traffic jams round the clock in the national capital. Be it Wazirabad road to Vikas Marg, Mehrauli Badarpur road to New Rohtak Road and all ISBT’s,1 and surroundings of metro stations, commuters face traffic jams on a daily basis. 

Real time data from TomTom showed that it took 25 minutes to cover 10 kilometres at 1 pm.  Experts say poor planning, broken roads, high volume of traffic and illegal parking are reasons behind jams, making Delhi one of the worst cities when it comes to daily commutes.

The Delhi government’s Public Works Department (PWD) manages a road network of 1,400 km, with a total lane length of 7,000 km. The inspection identified 6,671 potholes and over 230 km of road requiring re-carpeting and strengthening.”As many as 2,53,000 sq m of road patches have been identified for repair, and 39,500 sq m of patchwork was completed within the last week,” the CM added.

The Pioneer has been highlighting in its traffic jams series that poor and broken roads lead to traffic jams round the clock in the national capital.

Sharing details of pathetic roads, CM Atishi said the party has identified 89 damaged PWD (Public Works Department) roads for strengthening. She said 74 tenders have already been floated for this. The CM added that AAP leaders identified a total of 6,671 potholes during a series of inspections, and 3,454 of the patches have already been filled. This is an indication that broken roads cause traffic jams,

Meanwhile, residents of New Rohtak Road say they are now used to round-the-clock traffic jams. Traffic bound to Central and New Delhi from areas like Punjabi Bagh, Model Town, PitampurA to Punjabi Bagh, Rohini and Najafgarh use this road during morning  peak hours. Following this the ‘shopping crowd’ descends on Karol Bagh and other major markets. In the evening home bound traffic chokes the stretch. After 9.30 pm, trucks are allowed to py, so there are hardly any quiet moments along this stretch.

Using Zebra crossings, staying behind stop lines at red lights, and usage of pavements seem to be alien concepts here. Pedestrians walk on the traffic carriageway, and two wheelers zoom on the pavements. Many commuters say they avoid the stretch even if it means taking a long detour. Residentals enclaves on both sides of the road also generate substantial pedestrian traffic.