Gurgaon: Long weekend reduces road traffic as commuters cruise

Most arterial roads in city remained deserted, as residents enjoyed the fruits of an extended weekend

With most residents enjoying a long weekend, the infamous Gurgaon traffic was not on show the day after Diwali as people experienced a trafficless drive to their destinations on Thursday.

City roads are likely to draw less traffic till Monday when residents will return to work. (Sanjeev Verma/HT PHOTO)

The trend is expected to last until Monday morning when residents return to work.

To cite a case in point, the 21-km travel between Sirhaul toll and Kherki Daula toll on Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway, which takes commuters upto 2 hours on any given day, was reduced to a 25-minute cruise on Thursday.

“My parents live in Sector 86 and it usually takes me around 30-40 minutes to reach there. Today, I was able to cover the 7-km distance in less than 15 minutes. The roads were virtually empty and apart from stopping at signals, I didn’t face hassle while commuting,” Mihir Kohli, a resident of DLF 5, said.

With residents having a hassle-free drive, many took the advantage and travelled to multiple destinations across the city.

“My brother resides in Palam Vihar and my sister on Sohna road. I have never been able to visit their houses on the same day, as I never gathered the courage to drive through the severe congestion. However, after witnessing empty roads, I was able to meet my brother and sister at their residences instead of one family gathering,” Vedhant Manohar, a resident of Suncity, said.

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Traffic free roads also prompted people to visit popular shopping and entertainment destinations across the city.

“I normally take the Metro when I have to visit Mall Mile. I was informed that the roads are relatively empty and was able to drive to the malls and shop for several household goods that had been pending for a long time,” Arshdeep Singh, a resident of Sector 54, said.

Traffic police officials also stated that they did not encounter any snarls on roads and only deployed marshalls at spots where traffic lights are absent.