Clear traffic at 44 Metro stns: Police
CONGESTION Delhi Police want LG to urge DMRC, and Delhi govt to clear congestion by reengineering parts of the identified stations
a parliamentary panel recently took up the issue of traffic chaos in the national capital, the Delhi Traffic Police has requested the lieutenantgovernor to direct the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) and the Delhi government to take a slew of measures to clear the congestion on the roads outside 44 Metro stations in the city.
Most of the Metro stations identified by the traffic police are located on the yellow, violet and blue lines. With no planned parking space for e-rickshaws and autos outside these Metro stations, dozens of these vehicles occupy a large part of the main carriageway, causing day-long traffic jams.
In its last meeting with lieutenant-governor Anil Baijal earlier this week, senior traffic police officers requested the L-G to direct the DMRC to make some necessary changes that will ease vehicular movement outside the Metro stations.
“We have taken up the issue of retrofitting and re-engineering of some parts these Metro stations so that these vehicles, providing the last-mile connectivity, can be parked away from the main carriageway,” said a senior traffic police officer.
Making alterations to entry and exit points at some of these Metro stations is among the suggestions. The locations of many of the entrances of these metro stations are such that passengers directly land on the main carriageway.
Autos and rickshaws gather at these points to pick or drop passengers, severely affecting the movement of other vehicles. Police suggest that barricades can be temporarily used to divert passengers away from the main carriageway before permanent solutions are found.
A DMRC spokesperson said that the Metro officers are in touch with the Delhi Police. “We have created Halt & Go outside 82 stations,” said the spokesperson, adding that they have requested the police to provide manpower to manage traffic outside the stations.
The police have also sought help from the Delhi government to look at the option of arranging for parking these public transport vehicles on the arterial roads or even in the colonies near these Metro stations.
Police anticipate opposition from the Resident Welfare Associations of many of these colonies, but hope the Delhi government will be able to convince them. The police have also suggested that land be procured near these Metro stations, wherever feasible, so that a separate and controlled parking can be arranged for vehicles that provide last-mile connectivity.
Over the years, the police have tried to free up the carriageways outside Metro stations by challaning vehicles parked on the main road or regulating the number of vehicles that are allowed to approach the passengers at a time.
Banning e-rickshaws, cyclerickshaws, autos and Grameen Seva is out of question as they provide the necessary last-mile connectivity to commuters. But these vehicles also increase the travel time on these routes by 45 minutes during the peak hours, estimates traffic police.