Survey for vehicular pressure on Gurugram roads to redesign movement routes

Traffic police and road safety officers (RSOs) have conducted a survey of 35 internal city roads with the aim of making them one-way to ease traffic flow and alleviate congestion, officials said. The survey was carried out last month to assess the road network and vehicular pressure on key stretches, and traffic police have said they will start a trial run of the changes on a 1.5km stretch near Apparel House in Sector-44, one of the busiest areas in the city with over 200 companies.

Virender Vij, deputy commissioner of police (traffic), said that the survey will help decrease pollution and save fuel.

“The RSOs are preparing a report on the type of vehicles and traffic volumes on each stretch, along with peak-hour traffic data. Based on this information, traffic police will decide on the direction of one-way traffic and create signage and diversions accordingly,” DCP Vij said.

Vij said that his team and the RSOs will calculate the average number of vehicles moving at different times on working days, including peak hours for commuters and school bus movement. “The survey will also include non-working days to determine the direction of the one-way movement. Changes, signages, and road diversions will be made based on these calculations and pressure on connecting roads. Traffic police teams will remain deployed at these locations for a few days after the changes are implemented,” he added.

More than 25 stretches of roads have been identified as experiencing heavy congestion, causing travel times of 20-30 minutes for 1-2km stretches, according to officials. Key stretches that will be affected by the one-way changes include Apparel House, Sector-56 Road, Old and New Railway Roads, Gurudwara Road, Basai Road, Khandsa Road, Sheetala Mata Road, Hong Kong Market Road, Sector 15, Sector 10, and Old Delhi Road.

Rajkumar Yadav, one of the RSOs, said, “There are some areas which are congested especially during peak hours and lot of manual efforts are needed to manage those stretches. Such routes can be easily decongested by minor diversions or making them one way ensuring safe crossing for pedestrians and cyclists.”

Additionally, the police have identified 38 spots in the city for wrong-side driving and are checking for this violation, with around 20% of fines imposed for this offence. The focus of the joint effort is to decrease traffic jams and snarls, and to provide a hassle-free movement experience for commuters and residents, said DCP Vij.