Nobody’s dissing it – on the contrary, the Delhi Metro has changed in a hugely positive way the manner in which way we live, earn a living, commute and socialise in public spaces. But somebody should have seen the traffic disaster coming when stations open out on to busy arterial roads and the Capital’s notorious lack of road/traffic discipline combined with a me-first attitude ensuresthat the time saved in the commute is wasted in traffic snarls.
What’s done is done, however, and we can only attempt damage control at the many metro stations across the city where parking arrangements must be expanded, use of drop-and-pick up areas by cabs, autos, buses and private vehicles strictly enforced, vendors evicted and pedestrian access to the metro station gates barred directly from the main road. For the soon to be opened Chirag Delhi and GK 2 Metro stations, on the other hand, prevention is better than cure when it comes to traffic choke points.
While it may mean a bit of delay, we urge the traffic police – which will be blamed for the mess eventually – to take a tough line with Delhi Metro and submit in writing its objections to kicking off operations without all above in place.