Ditch cars, bikes for campus commute, PGI urges staff

According to the orders issued on April 25, 2024, faculty members, resident doctors, nursing officers, paramedical and other staff members residing on the PGI campus are requested to avoid cars and bikes for commuting inside the institute. The initiative by the staff members will help a lot in decongesting traffic to a great extent, the order further reads.

In view of the increasing traffic at the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), the institute has suggested its staff members residing on the campus to avoid cars and motorbikes for commuting inside the institute.

In view of the increasing traffic at the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), the institute has suggested its staff members residing on the campus to avoid cars and motorbikes for commuting inside the institute. (HT Photo)

According to the orders issued on April 25, 2024, faculty members, resident doctors, nursing officers, paramedical and other staff members residing on the PGI campus are requested to avoid cars and bikes for commuting inside the institute. The initiative by the staff members will help a lot in decongesting traffic to a great extent, the order further reads.

In September last year, the PGI issued orders that private vehicles will no longer have access to staff parking areas within the campus. The decision was taken by the administration after the issue was flagged by the faculty association regarding the staff parking situation.

Traffic congestion poses a significant challenge at the PGI due to a nearly tenfold increase in patient load, coupled with limited parking space availability. Insufficient parking capacity compels visitors to park their vehicles along the internal roads, leading to traffic congestion.

The situation worsens during peak OPD hours from 8 am to 11 am with a large influx of patients causing vehicles to drop them at the New OPD gate. Consequently, prolonged traffic jams and bumper-to-bumper congestion plague the campus during this time. Around 20,000 vehicles enter the campus daily.

The institute caters to over 10,000 people in the out-patient department (OPD) every day. Even the bed occupancy has gone up from 84.7% in 2021-22 to 103.5% in 2022-23.

The PGI has a parking space for around 3,900 vehicles. A multi-level parking for 680 cars is coming up opposite the New OPD. PGIMER faculty members have been provided five free parking spaces and nursing and other staff members have access to 12 free parking lots. The existing three-storey parking facility in front of the New OPD can accommodate around 600 cars.

The ongoing construction of the multi-level parking facility across the New OPD is adding to traffic congestion during the peak OPD hours.