Amit Jain wrote to me regarding a traffic problem on Kasturba Gandhi marg. He writes, “On KG Marg, at the KG Marg-Ferozshah road crossing there are plastic bollards for dividing the straight traffic and the traffic turning right. The
traffic signal is first straight then right. The placement of the divider is such that barely two cars can go down KG Marg side by side. If there is a bus (and KG Marg is a bus route) then only a single bus can pass through.

“Keeping in view the propensity of Delhi drivers of not driving on their lane and the different variety of vehicles on roads, it causes a traffic snarl especially during office hours when south Delhi traffic is going/returning from work. Many drivers cross the yellow line to go ahead. There is very little traffic turning right. I request you to take this up with the concerned area officers and request them to either remove the bollards or at least re-align them so that the traffic going straight can move easily and smoothly.”

This is a nice suggestion and even I have experienced this. Although using bollard is a very good option of segregating traffic but they do a good job when used on a three-lane road. If used for a two-lane road then something needs to be done, as they are not very successful at it. I strictly feel that on Kasturba Gandhi Marg, cops should be deployed during peak hours at this intersection as well as at the Bus Stop on American Center Library. The traffic movement is affected throughout the day as the blue-line and white line buses stop here for long time thus blocking the road. The effect of this blockage can be felt on the outer circle also as there’s minor jams throughout the day due to this.

I received a rather strange suggestion from US Rana who suggests privatising traffic enforcement in the city. Well, it is simply not possible for the traffic police and the government to do so but since in this platform people can air their views so I am sharing his views with readers. He writes, “Our traffic rules are the best, best on paper. We trip at their enforcement. Maybe, they cannot be enforced for one or the other reason e.g., manpower shortage, interference by the politicians or higher officers, even fear of corruption, seeping into it even more ferociously.

“Having weathered privatisation and globalisation winds, I am emboldened to suggest that enforcement of traffic rules be privatised to start with only as an example through a pilot project. Bids may be invited for it from the public for myriad intersections in Delhi. To start with, I am ready to bid Rs 5,000 for two hours on any working day for the T-junction where O.P. Road and Vasant Marg meet by the side of the Nigerian High Commission. Collection of fines recovered on the spot within a week will be an eye-opener.”

Well, wherever there’s money, corruption will just seep in. Moreover, it will only increase road rage incidents and one will see just brawls on every intersection if it is done. I think traffic cops are doing a fine job but their attention needs to be diverted towards regulating traffic rather than just prosecuting offenders and making the government richer by means of challans. The lower staff of traffic police work overtime to meet the target set by bosses that they don’t get time to regulate traffic at all junctions. I am all for raising the amount of fines which, as of now, are paltry and doesn’t pinch the Delhi driver. If the fine is steep then the Delhiites will think twice before committing an offence. The idea here is to implement traffic rules on the road and not collection of money by prosecuting offenders.

Connaught Place is changing drastically in its landscape as well as traffic flow. Well, if the new traffic plan announced by the New Delhi Municipal Council is enforced lot of people will get hassled as they take short cuts through the inner and middle circle of Connaught Place in order to stay away from traffic congestion on outer circle. I don’t know how well is the decision of a single entry and single exit plan for Connaught Place. But I am sure the traffic cops have to do some thinking if NDMC enforces the new traffic circulation.

NDMC plans to make the entry to Connaught Place from Janpath side and exit towards Baba Kharag Singh marg. As of now the exit for Baba Kharag Singh Marg is a problemy affair. It is due to traffic police’s signal system. The signal for traffic turning right while coming from Inner Circle at Baba Kharag Singh marg intersection turns green simultaneously with traffic entering CP’s outer circle from Baba Kharag Singh Marg. This creates a clash of traffic movement from both sides due to which the dispersal rate on both these intersections is very less.

Currently the other exit points in CP’s inner circle make the dispersal of vehicles easy, but what will happen if there is only one exit point and the dispersal rate at the traffic signal is so slow at Baba Kharag Singh marg intersection. It will be utter chaos and even the inner circle will get choked due to this. The traffic police should immediately do some changes to the traffic signal at this point.

They shouldn’t let the flow of traffic coming from both sides (Baba Kharag Singh side and inner circle side) merge on outer circle of Connnaught Place. The green signal for each flow should be separate so that dispersal is easy and there is less chaos. The problem there is a large number of buses entering CP from Baba Kharag Singh Marg and CP is the only place where buses restrict themselves to the bus lane thus forming a continuous chain. It is almost impossible to turn towards Shivaji Stadium for smaller vehicles entering outer circle from CP’s inner circle, as the buses don’t give you a way. This problem needs an immediate attention of the Traffic Police.

It’s a day of processions today. Almost five processions to be precise! So chaos is bound to happen in Central Delhi as well as the walled city of Delhi.

A sikh procession which has come from Punjab will start a religious procession from Majnu Ka Tila gurudwara near ISBT, Kashmere Gate at 9 am. This procession will end at Gurudwara Sisganj.

The second procession is of Suthre Shah near Hanuman Temple, ISBT. This is an annual procession taken out by his followers and will start at 11 am. There’ll be around 5,000 followers in the procession and will take a long walk within the walled city of Delhi.
Then there are three processions of Baba Ram Dev. Not of Astha channel fame! One procession, which will start at 11 am, is from Nabi Karim and the other two will be taken out in Karol Bagh area. From Saraswati Marg the procession will start at 9 am and the second procession will start from Hathiwala Chawk at 11 am.

Apart from the five processions, there a Dalit rally at Lila grounds, Asaf Ali road from 2 pm to 5 pm. DCP (Traffic/north zone) HPS Virk says, and “According to our estimates around 10,000-12,000 people are expected in the rally, we advise motorists to deviate from their normal routes if they use the above-mentioned roads.”

According to Virk, “Ring Road will be affected today. Traffic movement in entire walled city of Delhi including Chandni Chowk and Subhash Marg, Arya Samaj road, Motia Khan, Qutub road, Rani Jhansi Marg, D.B. Gupta Road and Faiz Road will be affected.”

For the residents and shopkeepers of old Delhi, Metro Rail is a boon for them, as they don’t need to bother about these processions anymore. For Karol Bagh residents and those using New Rohtak Road, they should the Patel Nagar road. For them the Metro is still few months away.

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