The unsolved maze of traffic

The sigh of relief that the residents of Dwarka heaved after the inauguration of the Palam-Dwarka flyover lasted for just four years.

The sigh of relief that the residents of Dwarka heaved after the inauguration of the Palam-Dwarka flyover lasted for just four years. The safety measures taken by the traffic police and DDA following a sudden spurt in accidents on this stretch have turned the flyover into a choke point. The peak hours witness long traffic jams on this narrow flyover.

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While DDA engineers claim safety measures were taken to reduce accidents and traffic snarls, daily commuters point out faulty planning.

"For a projected population of 10 lakh, the flyover seems narrow and ill-equipped to deal with such high traffic. When the DDA was spending so much money on the project, it should have planned a six-lane flyover, instead of the existing four-lane," said Vinay Menon, a sector 14 resident.

"Many charted buses continue to stop on the flyover. Slow-moving vehicles like carts are not allowed on the flyover, but they still ply with impunity, slowing down the traffic," Menon added.

Clogged, congested, chaotic
Metro's Dwarka corridor promised to solve traffic problem on Najafgarh Road. Though a large number of motorists left their vehicles home and hopped on to the Metro, this traffic intersection continues to be one of the most busy and congested.

The presence of Dwarka Mod Metro station just 50 meters form the T-point adds to the traffic. Although the traffic police have recently installed a traffic signal on this intersection and the public works department has constructed a slip road, traffic snarls just refuse to ease. The presence of makeshift shops and illegally parked commercial vehicles add to the problem.

"I have been using this road for the past 10 years but the kind of traffic that I have seen in past six months is unprecedented," said RP Malik, a resident of Najafgarh.