Massive traffic snarls were witnessed in several parts of Delhi as crawling vehicles remained a common scene on many arterial roads across the city, especially in central, south and north Delhi areas, throughout Tuesday, with traffic police attributing the traffic congestion to festival rush, breakdown of vehicles and peak-hour traffic.
The Ring Road between Bhikaji Cama Place in south Delhi and Indraprastha (IP) flyover near ITO in central Delhi, the Barapullah elevated corridor, Delhi-Noida-Direct (DND) flyway, multiple stretches of the Outer Ring Road between Vasant Vihar and Sukhdev Vihar, the National Highway (NH)-48 connecting Gurugram and Delhi via Mahipalpur, the Delhi-Meerut Expressway and its adjoining NH-9 corridors and the Vikas Marg connecting central Delhi with east Delhi via Laxmi Nagar were among the key corridors that experienced severe traffic congestion.
The situation was worse during the evening peak hours, as many of such roads were either gridlocked or vehicles moved at a snail’s pace, leaving commuters stranded on the routes and fuming as their travel time doubled or tripled against the usual time. The traffic deadlock was seen on the Ring Road, the Barapullah Road and the DND corridor around Sarai Kale Khan, which in the recent past has become a major traffic congestion hotspot since the newly constructed Barapullah Phase-3 flyover was opened for public use on September 30.
{{/usCountry}}The situation was worse during the evening peak hours, as many of such roads were either gridlocked or vehicles moved at a snail’s pace, leaving commuters stranded on the routes and fuming as their travel time doubled or tripled against the usual time. The traffic deadlock was seen on the Ring Road, the Barapullah Road and the DND corridor around Sarai Kale Khan, which in the recent past has become a major traffic congestion hotspot since the newly constructed Barapullah Phase-3 flyover was opened for public use on September 30.
{{/usCountry}}Deep Dive
What caused the major traffic jams across Delhi?
Which Delhi roads were most affected by the traffic snarls?
Were BS-VI vehicle checks the main cause of congestion on NH-48?
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Many commuters used social media platforms to share their experiences about the massive traffic snarls and draw the attention of the Delhi Traffic Police and other concerned authorities towards their inconvenience, while seeking their help in clearing the traffic jams. Some commuters even posted messages to highlight that emergency vehicles such as ambulances were stuck in the traffic snarls and reported the absence of traffic personnel on the affected stretches.
“Severe traffic congestion on Barapullah Road near JLN Stadium. Stranded for hours with virtually no vehicular movement. Where are the traffic cops? And if present, why is traffic management so utterly ineffective? This is unacceptable. Immediate intervention needed,” a commuter posted on X around 6 pm, adding that three ambulances were also stuck.
The traffic police responded to the post on the same social media platform and claimed that the traffic congestion was due to the breakdown of a car. “...traffic movement is slow due to a car breakdown at the location. Efforts are underway to remove the vehicle, and normal traffic movement is expected to be restored shortly. Kindly cooperate with the traffic personnel,” the traffic police posted.
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“Stuck in traffic on Barapullah since last 50 min @dtptraffic pathetic. Vehicle is not moving at all !,” another commuter posted on X.
Traffic congestion was also witnessed on roads around the CGO Complex, particularly on Lodhi Road and Lala Lajpat Rai Road connecting Moolchand and Nizamuddin flyovers. Traffic was also heavy on both carriageways of the Mathura Road between Neela Gumbad in Nizamuddin and the Badarpur border. The situation was worse on the NH-48, as motorists found themselves stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic.
“Massive pollution due to traffic jam at NH-48 Gurgaon towards Dhaula Kuan. War-footing action missing?,” a commuter posted on social media.
On being asked about the reasons for the traffic congestion, a traffic police officer, who asked not to be named, said, “Due to the festive season, volume of traffic has increased on roads, especially on the roads around key shopping hubs in south and central Delhi areas. The footfall in markets has increased. Unauthorised parking is also a key reason. Breakdowns of vehicles during peak hours are also adding to the problems. We have increased our presence on streets and are taking the required actions to curb traffic congestion.”