Chock-a-block with vehicles, throwing up emissions adding to the ever-growing pollution cloud, the streets of Delhi hardly afford an inch of space for joggers and cyclists.
However, starting September, this is about to change as the stretch from Moolchand to Ashram Chowk will be the first of many in the national capital to be re-designed in a way so as to afford enough space for non-motorised vehicles, joggers and morning walkers.
Armed with a corpus of Rs 500 crore, the Arvind Kejriwal government has already started out on an ambitious bid to free up road spaces to carve out dedicated lanes that joggers and cyclists could use without the fear of being crushed under the wheels of a speeding vehicle.
Separate lanes for all
The stretch from Moolchand to Ashram Chowk in south Delhi, spanning three kilometres, would be the first come out with a relaid version of itself in September. The Public Works Department (PWD) is already on the job of creating such dedicated spaces for non-motorised traffic, joggers and pedestrians on parts of the Ring Road, from Moolchand to Ashram Chowk. After re-designing this stretch, the non-motorised corridor will be extended till Naraina, via Moti Bagh and Shivdaspuri.
Part of the dream project of the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) — ‘Street Scaping, Beautification and Widening of Roads’ — the stretches would be redeveloped in a way so as to bring them on par with those in the US and Europe. The estimated cost of re-designing the Moolchand-Ashram Chowk stretch has been pegged at Rs 75 crore. The objective, according to those associated with the project, is to provide pedestrian-friendly and aesthetically improved roads with a greener ambience and “zero” traffic hurdles. The Moolchand-Ashram Chowk corridor is among the 10 stretches earmarked by the PWD in 2018 for complete overhaul and street scaping to make them accessible for pedestrians, NMVs (non-motorised vehicles) and the disabled.
“Currently, one cannot imagine walking or cycling on the stretch from Moolchand to Ashram Marg, as it geometrically uneven and poor aligned. It is one of the busiest roadways in the city, with round-the-clock vehicle movement and no designated bus stops and pedestrian facilities such as subways, foot over bridges, thereby also making it far from disabled-friendly,” said a PWD official working on the project.According to an estimate of Delhi Traffic Police, more than 2 lakh vehicles ply on this stretch during peak commuting hours every day.
Survey find
The official said a survey found that this stretch sorely lacks in pedestrian utilities such as zebra crossings, sidewalks, road markings, signage and signals. The road geometrics were also marked poor.
Apart from lacking in dedicated lanes for NMVs and pedestrians, the stretch is saddled with other commuting woes. The termination of service lanes at junctions and parking close to intersections hinder traffic and pedestrian movements, the survey revealed.
“Moreover, due to the poor designing of the stretch, kerbs and furniture shops lining the street, unfettered, barrier-free commuting isn’t possible either for motorists or pedestrians,” the official said.
Also, due to the lack of a dedicated parking bay for e-rickshaws and other three-wheelers, heavy snarls are frequently reported at intersections. The official claimed that these issues will cease to bother commuters from September, as, apart from street scaping and beautification of these stretches, the PWD will equip them with modern commuting aids and infrastructure at par with international standards.
As part of the redevelopment projects, separate lanes would be carved out for pedestrians, cyclists, autos and e-rickshaws. They will also have designated bus stops, public toilets, drinking water dispensers, police kiosks, separate parking areas for police and emergency vehicles, street vending zones, mohalla clinics, Aam Aadmi canteens, road maps and signage, as well as greenery. They will also be equipped with proper seating arrangements and community libraries. Multi-level parking lots will also come up in places such as Vikas Marg, central market at Lajpat Nagar and Chittaranjan Park in south Delhi, the PWD official said. The PWD has also pledged to boost greenery on these corridors by planting more trees and shrubs. It will also add to their aesthetic appeal, the official said.
The other stretches where the re-designing work is currently underway are Sewadham Road (from road no. 63 to Delhi-Uttar Pradesh (UP) border, Shivdaspuri Marg, Patel Road (from Moti Nagar T-Point to Pusa Road), the 2.3-km-long stretch from Narwana Road Mother Dairy to Punch Mahal Niwas, the stretch from Laxmi Nagar to Karkari Mor on Vikas Marg, the ring road from Mayapuri to Moti Bagh Junction, Satguru Ram Singh Marg (road no. 36), the stretch from Mayapuri Chowk to SD Public School, Britannia Chowk to outer ring roads, West Enclave (Pritampura), road numbers 41and 41-A and the stretch from Wazirpur Depot Crossing (NSP) to Rithala Metro station.
Some other stretches that would be taken up for redevelopment in the coming days are Bipin Chandra Pal Marg at Chitranjan Park, as well as the three major choking points of central market, Shiv Mandir Marg, Feroz Gandhi Marg and Veer Sawarkar Marg in Lajpat Nagar and the stretch from Chirag Dilli to Sheikh Sarai. Kabutar Chowk in Nehru Place and Pankha Road (Kali Mata Mandir to Dabri flyover) in west Delhi would also be turned into roadways of the future. Officials said apart from re-designing and realignment, these corridors would also be lit up with smart LED bulbs. Work is already underway on most of these stretches.
Experts’ take
Asked what’s the need for road designing and what are the benefits of carving out separate lanes for NMVs, pedestrians and cyclists, Pradeep Sachdeva, a consultant for three redevelopment projects — Moolchand and Ashram Chowk, Vikas Marg and Narwana Road, said, “It is the need of the hour in a city where population and the volume of traffic are rising at pace. Most of our roads are uneven and improperly designed. They don’t have equal width and carriageways are missing.” “Take Vikas Marg for instance. It has a width of 15 metres where it starts but then narrows down to 10 metres and, eventually, to 3 metres at one point where there are bottlenecks aplenty. The reduced road width at this point leads to snarls, as well as accidents,” Sachdeva said.
He said snarls will be reduced once separate lanes for pedestrians, NMVs and vehicles are carved out.
However, S Vel Murguan, senior principal scientist and former head, Engineering and Safety Division, Central Road Research Institute (CRRI), said the project will benefit pedestrians and cyclists only when proper regulations are in place. “But it won’t do much to reduce snarls and congestion because in Kidwai Nagar, for instance, multi-storeyed buildings and an office complex have come up along the road and the nearest Metro station isn’t so near.
Also water storage and drain development are other major areas that need focus while implementing the project. Usually, for such projects, a feasibility and impact study is necessary. But I am not sure if it has been done for this one,” he said.Another expert said on ring roads and several other stretches, there is no provision for storm water management, thereby resulting in heavy waterlogging and traffic jams during the rainy season. Hence, the redesigning has to be done keeping these factors in mind, he said.
What traffic police says
A senior officer of the Delhi Traffic Police said, “Currently, more than 2 lakh vehicles, on an average, ply on these stretches every day. Traffic woes could be solved only when roads are widened. Hence, road widening and separate lanes for pedestrians would help us manage traffic better.”
Freeing up road space
Government initiative
Project under which streets would be redeveloped for the benefit of joggers and cyclists is named ‘Street Scaping, Beautifcation and Widening’.
Project highlights 10
Stretches to be redeveloped under the project Rs 500 cr
Estimated cost of relaying all the stretches under the project Rs 75 cr
Estimated cost of redeveloping the stretch from Moolchand to Ashram Chowk
Status of work
Though the relaying work is already underway on all the stretches, the
one from Moolchand to Ashram Chowk is likely to be redeveloped ahead of the rest. This stretch is expected to be relaid by September, while the others would be done by the end of this year.
Parking lots on anvil too
Apart from commuting aids. multi-level parking lots will also come up in Vikas Marg, Central Market at Lajpat Nagar and Chittaranjan Park in south Delhi, a PWD official said.