Lane trials add to traffic travails
Delhiites had to put up with traffic snarls on the arterial roads lining the Commonwealth Games sites on Saturday as the Delhi traffic police started its trial run for dedicated Games lanes. The roads linking the Dhaula Kuan flyover and Sardar Patel Marg and the Vinay Marg in the New Delhi area witnessed chaotic traffic after the trial run for dedicated lanes began.
The Dhaula Kuan flyover-Sardar Patel Marg and Vinay Marg are the first two roads to be tested for the trial run of the dedicated CWG lanes on which only traffic ferrying athletes and other delegates participating in the event will move. Delhi traffic police officers confirmed that from Saturday at least two roads leading to the Games Village, venues and the airport will be cordoned off for normal traffic in a phased manner. These trials are expected to run through the coming week.
However, the trials were not a success story as the traffic on the two roads turned chaotic. “Around noon time today, Vinay Marg saw traffic jams for two hours. The situation was brought under control later,” said a Delhi traffic police officer deployed at the site.
Traffic came to a halt on Sardar Patel Marg at 2.30 pm. “Traffic jams started in the afternoon. The situation improved at around 6 pm,” said a traffic police officer.
However, senior officers maintained that these trials will be carried out only during off-peak hours on select stretches so that the citizens get used to the concept.
Lane marking for dedicated Games lanes, on the extreme right side of roads, is being carried out in the city where a solid yellow line demarcates the lane. At regular intervals, “Games Lane” and the Commonwealth Games logo are painted on the road in blue and white for information of road users.
“The idea is to get the people accustomed to the Games lane discipline. To minimise inconvenience, the trials will be held in off-peak hours,’’ said special commissioner of police (traffic), Ajay Chadha.
Senior police officers said that these lanes will not be blocked off round-the-clock but a schedule will be prepared and road the space will be reserved for Games traffic at the time of the events at facilities in the vicinity, and on the day of the opening and closing ceremonies.
Traffic police officers also added that there will be trials on the Noida More and I.P. College Roads on Sunday.
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