To decongest busy ITO junction, traffic police seeks a detailed study from PWD

Traffic unit’s deputy commissioner of police (central range) Anita Roy on Tuesday wrote to PWD officials asking for a detailed study of the ITO junction and the area in a 4-5km radius around it.

With an aim to decongest central Delhi’s busy ITO intersection, the traffic police has written to the public works department (PWD) to conduct a comprehensive study of the stretch and adjoining areas to assess traffic volume and accident count so that tailor-made solutions can be found.

The traffic police has asked the PWD to assess details such as the vehicular volume at the intersection during normal as well as peak hours. (Photo by Sushil Kumar/Hindustan Times)

Traffic unit’s deputy commissioner of police (central range) Anita Roy on Tuesday wrote to PWD officials asking for a detailed study of the ITO junction and the area in a 4-5km radius around it. “ITO is a very important junction, considering that it is the primary connecting point between central and east Delhi. Our plan is to make this stretch a model one for the rest of the city. For this, understanding the issues plaguing the area will be the first step,” Roy said.

The traffic police has asked the PWD to assess details such as the vehicular volume at the intersection during normal as well as peak hours. The traffic police has also asked for information on how traffic volume is affected during VIP movements, sports events, exhibitions and protests. Details of pedestrian counts and parking requirements in nearby areas have also been sought as a part of the study.

Shashi Kant, PWD’s engineer-in-chief, said the department will take up the study and all required aspects would be looked into. He, however, said he was yet to “officially receive” the communication from the traffic police department.

Before asking the PWD for the study, the traffic police department, along with Central Road Research Institute (CRRI) and two road safety NGOs, had conducted a series of inspections of the area before the lockdown was imposed on account of Covid-19 on March 25.

A senior PWD official, privy to the development, on condition of anonymity said the outcome of the ITO decongestion plan, along with the ongoing Pragati Maidan redevelopment project, which includes a traffic circulation plan around Mathura Road, Purana Qila Road, Bhairon Marg and the Ring Road, will result in holistically decongesting all these stretches.

Ranked among the busiest intersections in the national capital, ITO daily sees serpentine jams, which worsens during the rush hour. However, no effective solution has been implemented by authorities to ease commuter woes.

In 2015, the Delhi traffic police, with the Unified Traffic and Transportation Infrastructure (Planning and Engineering) Centre, has come up with a one-way plan for the intersection.

During the evening rush hour, when vehicles coming from east Delhi were directed towards Deen Dayal Upadhyay (DDU) Marg, and from there made to take a right towards Gandharva Mahavidyalaya to join Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg via Kotla Marg. Similarly, vehicles coming from Minto Road and Connaught Place are made to take a left from DDU Marg towards Kotla Marg. Senior traffic officials said even though this one-way plan had helped take away some traffic from the main intersection, the problem was more deep-rooted.

S Velmurugan, chief scientist, traffic engineering and safety division, CRRI, who was part of the inspection team, said no recent study has been conducted to assess the problems of ITO.

“We have been taking measures to regulate traffic in the area based on a study from 2017 which estimates that nearly 4.5 lakh vehicles pass through the junction throughout the day, but that study does not give exact data about traffic flow at different timings,” he said.

Velmurugan said measures such as the construction of a 1.2km tunnel between Purana Qila Road and the Ring Road along with six underground U-turns on Mathura Road, Bhairon Marg and the Ring Road will decongest ITO crossing and W-point near Pragati Maidan. “These measures should come up at the earliest. Delay only aggravates the problem,” he said.

The PWD is constructing this ₹777-crore project to ease travel to India Gate and parts of central Delhi from different corners of the city, especially from east Delhi, Noida and Ghaziabad.

Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director (research and advocacy), Centre for Science and Environment, said, “With limited public transport modes, and a fear of safety, commuters are likely to depend on private vehicles and this will add to the vehicular load. Preparing for the worst will help agencies manage this actuality in the coming months,” Roychowdhury said.