Saturday, May 29, 2009
source:http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com
One of the major access roads to Gurgaon MG Road will remain closed for traffic at night for 40 days starting Saturday to facilitate construction of the Delhi Metro line to the satellite township.
"The diversions will be put into effect on both sides of the road from Manglapuri crossing (near phoolwali mandi) till Aya Nagar More from 12 pm to 6 am. The special work is expected to be completed by July 9 when the flow of traffic will be normalised,'' said a Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) spokesperson, adding that the movement of traffic will remain normal on the stretch from 6 am to midnight.
The road is being closed to speed up construction of the elevated Metro viaduct leading to the under-construction maintenance depot at Sultanpur, which is located just off the main MG Road. An elevated platform is being constructed between the pillars already erected on both sides of the road on which three sets of tracks with cross-overs are required for a distance of about 850 metres to enable trains to enter and exit the depot through a separate set of tracks. The normal elevated Metro structures are designed for just two sets of tracks.
For this, the distance between the two sets of pillars 36 on each side will first be joined using steel beams. To add support, precast concrete stabs will be placed on the structure, perpendicular to the steel beams. "The steel beams and concrete slabs will be brought to the site on trailers and lifted to the elevated structure using special cranes. This is not possible without closing the road below,'' the spokesperson added. Each of the steel beams is 21-23 metres in length and 50 tonnes in weight.
As an alternative routes, those commuting between Delhi and Gurgaon can take a left turn on Gadaipur Mandi road and turn right on Gurgaon Faridabad Road to hit MG Road after the Delhi Gurgaon border. This route, however, can only be used by small cars and two wheelers. All the commercial traffic using MG Road at night will be diverted to National Highway-8 (Delhi-Gurgaon expressway) or alternatively Gurgaon Faridabad Road and Mathura Road to reach Delhi at the Ashram crossing.
The DMRC is deploying an adequate number of traffic marshalls on the stretch to guide vehicles about the diversion and are also putting up signages on all the major intersections on the way to ensure smooth flow of traffic.
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Pedestrian safety week from June 1
Saturday, May 29, 2009
source:http://www.indianexpress.com
From June 1, be a little more careful while crossing roads or zipping past a zebra crossing. The Delhi Traffic Police will be observing a pedestrian safety week and manning nearly 500 intersections in the Capital where there is heavy pedestrian movement. Every year, almost 53 per cent of the total victims of road accidents are pedestrians. The traffic police has never made a concerted effort in this regard. Last year, the traffic police had carried out a jay walking drive for a brief period.
"Pedestrian discipline requires a behavioral shift which cannot happen overnight. By conducting these drives, we will be able to bring about a change in attitudes," said Joint Commissioner, Traffic, S N Shrivastava. During the week, the traffic police will also work to educate motorists and pedestrians alike. "We have produced radio spots, hoardings and leaflets to spread the message. Our volunteers and traffic police officers, manning the intersections, will also be educating those who violate the rules," Shrivastava added.
Pedestrians usually find themselves helpless in the Capital, where there is no planning to incorporate them. Most subways are in a deplorable state and can hardly be used. The traffic police had carried out a survey about the subways which are in a shabby condition and sent the pictures to the civic agencies. "We are hoping that the civic agencies will mend matters soon," Shrivastava added.
source:http://www.indianexpress.com
From June 1, be a little more careful while crossing roads or zipping past a zebra crossing. The Delhi Traffic Police will be observing a pedestrian safety week and manning nearly 500 intersections in the Capital where there is heavy pedestrian movement. Every year, almost 53 per cent of the total victims of road accidents are pedestrians. The traffic police has never made a concerted effort in this regard. Last year, the traffic police had carried out a jay walking drive for a brief period.
"Pedestrian discipline requires a behavioral shift which cannot happen overnight. By conducting these drives, we will be able to bring about a change in attitudes," said Joint Commissioner, Traffic, S N Shrivastava. During the week, the traffic police will also work to educate motorists and pedestrians alike. "We have produced radio spots, hoardings and leaflets to spread the message. Our volunteers and traffic police officers, manning the intersections, will also be educating those who violate the rules," Shrivastava added.
Pedestrians usually find themselves helpless in the Capital, where there is no planning to incorporate them. Most subways are in a deplorable state and can hardly be used. The traffic police had carried out a survey about the subways which are in a shabby condition and sent the pictures to the civic agencies. "We are hoping that the civic agencies will mend matters soon," Shrivastava added.
Delhi govt to conduct online survey for mega car pool plan
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
source:http://www.zeenews.com/
As part of its efforts to implement a mega car pool plan, the Delhi Government will soon start collecting information from motorists about their travel needs and timings.
"We will conduct an online survey from May 29 inviting motorists to give their inputs which will help us formulate the detailed environment-friendly scheme as per their travel requirements," a senior official from Transport department told.
The concept which was mooted last year by the state Transport department is aimed at encouraging motorists to travel together and thereby save money, fuel and reduce global warming and traffic on the roads.
The questionnaire seeking details of travel by the motorists has been uploaded in the website of the transport department, asking them to fill it by June 16.
He said as the pan-city mega car plan will connect users through smart cards and a central nodal agency, it will serve as a possible solution to the city's traffic woes, in addition to improving the public transport system.
"Presently cars typically carry one or two commuters, meaning inefficient use of limited road space as well more fuel usage and emission," the official said.
source:http://www.zeenews.com/
As part of its efforts to implement a mega car pool plan, the Delhi Government will soon start collecting information from motorists about their travel needs and timings.
"We will conduct an online survey from May 29 inviting motorists to give their inputs which will help us formulate the detailed environment-friendly scheme as per their travel requirements," a senior official from Transport department told.
The concept which was mooted last year by the state Transport department is aimed at encouraging motorists to travel together and thereby save money, fuel and reduce global warming and traffic on the roads.
The questionnaire seeking details of travel by the motorists has been uploaded in the website of the transport department, asking them to fill it by June 16.
He said as the pan-city mega car plan will connect users through smart cards and a central nodal agency, it will serve as a possible solution to the city's traffic woes, in addition to improving the public transport system.
"Presently cars typically carry one or two commuters, meaning inefficient use of limited road space as well more fuel usage and emission," the official said.
Thursday, May 28, 2009
ITO flyover plan may be revived
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
source:http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com
The 'now on-now off' ITO flyover project may be revived again, thanks to ITO Chungi getting signal-free by August.
In a meeting on Tuesday, minister for planning and urban development A K Walia asked PWD to revive the project in order to prevent a pile-up on Bahadurshah Zafar Marg. PWD minister Rajkumar Chauhan says the department may get a special approval from the lieutenant governor to get the project off the block but the catch is it may not see the light of the day before the Commonwealth Games.
The ITO flyover is a project which has been on and off the drawing board for more than two years now. It was shelved because of the confusion over how to accommodate BRT, east-west corridor along with it at the ITO crossing. It had been junked once before as no agreeable solution to the conundrum of whether BRT goes over the flyover or under it could be reached. Delhi Urban Art Commission (DUAC) too had resisted the idea of a flyover at the intersection.
Tuesday's meeting which was called to discuss the status of the ITO Chungi project and also that of the Shastri Nagar and Rajaram Kohli Marg flyovers, was attended by senior PWD and DDA officials. Walia told them that once the ITO Chungi underpass is commissioned and the place becomes signal-free, traffic from east Delhi would pile-up at the Bahadurshah Zafar Marg crossing which would "defeat the entire purpose'' of making the Chungi signal-free. He also stressed the need for an underpass at Preet Vihar with a rotary at the ground level to ensure smooth traffic flow between Karkardooma and ITO Chungi. PWD will prepare a feasibility report of the underpass.
PWD minister Rajkumar Chauhan said: "The final nail in the flyover's coffin was DUAC. We are planning to revive it now and may go to the L-G and seek special permission to go ahead with construction without DUAC's nod the way we did for the Ring Road bypass. But the project will never get over by October 2010 when the Games are slated to happen.''
The original plan was to have a flyover at Bahadurshah Zafar Marg along with parking underneath it and two half flyovers at Ring Road to ensure that its is signal free from Madhuban Chowk. The design was made, clearances from DDA, DUAC everything obtained when the project was stalled because of the pilot BRT project. Then came a time when BRT no longer seemed to be happening and the flyover came back only to encounter stiff resistance from DUAC. PWD officials now say that with BRT not quite happening yet, it may be a good time to revive the flyover again. But as and when BRT makes a comeback, the old dilemma is bound to return, they concede.
source:http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com
The 'now on-now off' ITO flyover project may be revived again, thanks to ITO Chungi getting signal-free by August.
In a meeting on Tuesday, minister for planning and urban development A K Walia asked PWD to revive the project in order to prevent a pile-up on Bahadurshah Zafar Marg. PWD minister Rajkumar Chauhan says the department may get a special approval from the lieutenant governor to get the project off the block but the catch is it may not see the light of the day before the Commonwealth Games.
The ITO flyover is a project which has been on and off the drawing board for more than two years now. It was shelved because of the confusion over how to accommodate BRT, east-west corridor along with it at the ITO crossing. It had been junked once before as no agreeable solution to the conundrum of whether BRT goes over the flyover or under it could be reached. Delhi Urban Art Commission (DUAC) too had resisted the idea of a flyover at the intersection.
Tuesday's meeting which was called to discuss the status of the ITO Chungi project and also that of the Shastri Nagar and Rajaram Kohli Marg flyovers, was attended by senior PWD and DDA officials. Walia told them that once the ITO Chungi underpass is commissioned and the place becomes signal-free, traffic from east Delhi would pile-up at the Bahadurshah Zafar Marg crossing which would "defeat the entire purpose'' of making the Chungi signal-free. He also stressed the need for an underpass at Preet Vihar with a rotary at the ground level to ensure smooth traffic flow between Karkardooma and ITO Chungi. PWD will prepare a feasibility report of the underpass.
PWD minister Rajkumar Chauhan said: "The final nail in the flyover's coffin was DUAC. We are planning to revive it now and may go to the L-G and seek special permission to go ahead with construction without DUAC's nod the way we did for the Ring Road bypass. But the project will never get over by October 2010 when the Games are slated to happen.''
The original plan was to have a flyover at Bahadurshah Zafar Marg along with parking underneath it and two half flyovers at Ring Road to ensure that its is signal free from Madhuban Chowk. The design was made, clearances from DDA, DUAC everything obtained when the project was stalled because of the pilot BRT project. Then came a time when BRT no longer seemed to be happening and the flyover came back only to encounter stiff resistance from DUAC. PWD officials now say that with BRT not quite happening yet, it may be a good time to revive the flyover again. But as and when BRT makes a comeback, the old dilemma is bound to return, they concede.
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Road reopens for traffic from ITO to East Delhi
Monday, May 25, 2009
source:http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com
There's some relief for commuters headed to East Delhi, Noida and Ghaziabad. With the Public Works Department (PWD) opening the ITO-Laxmi Nagar carriageway on Monday evening, the traffic coming from ITO won't have to take a long detour to reach these destinations.
Officials said that the other carriageway from Vikas Marg to ITO would be opened either in the last week of June or first week of July even as the ongoing work on ITO chungi for signal-free traffic movement is expected to be completed by August. Once the work is completed, there will be 12 lanes six on each carriageway.
"We could open this stretch as the existing road was wide enough. We had to widen it only by 5 meters. The other stretch from Vikas Marg will have to be widened by 9 meters,'' said a senior PWD official. He added that the excavation of soil for the underpass project would start from Tuesday.
The entire ITO Chungi underpass project is expected to be completed in next two months. Though the Rs 73.7 crore signal-free underpass project had the original deadline of December 2008, later it was extended to June 2009. Now officials admit that the stretch would be completely signal free only by August.
The project includes construction of an eight-lane underpass across Vikas Marg. It also features construction of four clover leaves for free right-turn. The traffic turning right would use the slip roads to reach their respective clover leaves and finally join the underpass. Straight traffic between Noida and Gandhi Nagar would also use the underpass.
Two more new slip roads, including a cycle track and footpath for free left-turn movement from ITO to Geeta Colony and Akshardham Temple to ITO, are also part of the project.
Moreover, the existing slip roads would be improved for free traffic movement on left from Geeta Colony to Laxmi Nagar and Laxmi Nagar to Akshardham. For pedestrian safety, three foot over-bridges across Pushta road at Kishan Kunj, Lalita Park and towards Akshardham are also being built.
Sunday, May 24, 2009
2010 games: Comprehensive plan mapping to ensure smooth traffic
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com
With over 60 lakh vehicles jostling for space on the capital's congested roads every day, ensuring free movement of traffic during a sporting extravaganza of the magnitude of Commonwealth Games in October next year can prove to be an uphill task. But the traffic police are drawing up a comprehensive plan mapping out the movement of each category of people in the city, to ensure there are no bottlenecks.
For starters, the extreme right lane on all roads leading to the Games Village in East Delhi, 11 Games venues and airport will be reserved for Games traffic. The lane will be painted and marked `Games Lane' at regular intervals so that it is easily identifiable. Other vehicles entering the lane will be heavily prosecuted and only labelled vehicles will be allowed to use the passage.
For better enforcement, this entire road network will be Intelligent Traffic Signals (ITS) enabled. These automated signals assess the volume of traffic in an identified area and adjust the signal cycles at intersections accordingly. Modern enforcement devices like cameras for challans and VMS boards will also be put up on all the corridors for better enforcement of laws and dissemination of road user information.
With one lane reserved for Games traffic, all the general traffic will be confined to the remaining part of the road. As Delhi's road network is already choked and jams are common during peak hours, this constriction of road space is expected to cause problems. "We are preparing an elaborate plan to keep congestion levels in check since the existing roads are not even enough to cater to city traffic. The general public will be informed about the roads to avoid while the Games are on and important arterial roads used for North-South and East-West access will be kept exclusively for city traffic so that Delhiites can commute around. But people will be encouraged to use public transport as far as possible to keep congestion levels in check,'' said SN Shrivastava, Joint Commissioner of Police (traffic).
Several roads leading upto important venues like Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, where the opening and closing ceremonies will be held, and Games Village will be cordoned off for all traffic. Only labelled vehicles will be allowed to use the road and the traffic police is drawing up alternative routes for general traffic. The cops have also got park-and-ride facilities near all Games venues where people will be able to leave their cars and take shuttle services to the stadiums.
Movement of traffic will also be restricted for busy areas located around the venues. For instance, those working at CGO complex near JLN stadium will not be allowed to drive upto their offices and will have to either take the Metro or park their vehicles at Lodhi Road and avail park-and-ride. At such places, the streets are being beautified with wider footpaths to encourage people to walk or cycle short distances.
All the vehicles on Delhi roads have been divided into three categories normal traffic, Games traffic and VVIP movement. For each of the venues, the exact movement of games and VVIP traffic is being mapped out in detail. So from the route each vehicle will take to reach the venue to entry gate and parking slot, everything will be decided in advance.
Spectators going to watch the events will not be allowed to use the Games lanes. As the rest of the roads are expected to be congested, people will be encouraged to use modes of public transport like Delhi Metro and buses, which would have spread their networks across the city by then. Integrated tickets for Games venues and Delhi Metro also being looked at.
The government is also reportedly planning to schedule holidays on the days of opening and closing ceremonies to bring down traffic volumes. Other events like festivals or fairs which cause a congregation of people in a specific area will not be allowed during the period. Thousands of volunteers are being roped in to guide pedestrians near venues and parking lots. They will not be involved in active traffic management.
150 new cranes for cops to tow away big cars
Saturday, May 23, 2009
Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com
Make sure you think twice before parking your car on a busy street. The traffic police is all set to multiply the number of cranes in the city to four times its present strength in a bid to check unauthorized parking and the resultant traffic snarls on major roads. And this time, large big cars and SUVs will not be spared either as the new cranes will also include a sizable number of high-capacity ones.
On Thursday, Delhi Police floated a tender to hire an additional 150 cranes for its traffic wing. This includes 110 small cranes with a capacity of 1-2 tonnes, which can tow all models of small and medium-sized cars and two-wheelers. Another 40 high-capacity cranes are specially being added to the fleet, with a capacity of 1.4 to 3 tonnes, especially for large luxury cars, jeeps and SUVs.
Till now, the existing cranes being used by the cops were not equipped to tow away large cars and even when they forcibly did so, the front of the vehicles would get damaged. "The new high-capacity cranes will adjust the hook of the boom between the two front tyres, lock them and then lift the car ensuring no damage is caused to the vehicle, said S N Shrivastava, joint commissioner of police (traffic).
In another major relief to car owners, all officials on towing duty have been ordered to first report the registration number of each car picked up from the road, along with the location, and report it to the traffic helpline number. The location where the owner of the vehicle can retrieve it will also be mentioned. So, looking for your car which is towed away will no longer be a struggle.
In addition to this, each vehicle will be photographed before it is lifted from the spot where it was parked illegally so that the photo can act as evidence in case of any dispute. At present, the traffic police has just 53 cranes on its rolls to deal with the problem of unauthorized parking all over the city. All these cranes have also been hired by the cops. Apart from these, there are another 28 cranes owned by the traffic police, but these are exclusively used to tow away broken down vehicles causing jams on roads. The new cranes should be operational in a month's time, the official added.
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Finally, work begins on BRT overbridges
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com
The construction of three foot overbridges (FOBs) on the pilot Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) corridor has finally begun. In a first for the city, the new FOBs will be fitted with lifts in addition to the now-common escalators. The transport department has also sought approval to construct four more FOBs on the remaining stretch between Moolchand and Delhi Gate.
The FOBs will be located at Madangir, near the dargah, the next about a km ahead near Pushp Vihar and the third before Chirag Dilli crossing. The one located before Chirag Dilli crossing, will also have a ramp which is being designed for cycle users. One end of the cycle ramp will open into the Jahanpanah Greens. "Work on the FOBs has started and they will be ready by April 2009,'' said a senior government official.
At one of the locations, where space was limited, the idea of installing a lift in place of an escalator was floated. Sources said, a decision was later taken to put up lifts on all the other FOBs too, in an attempt to make the FOBs disabled-friendly like the other BRT corridor.
To sort out the problem of pedestrians on the stretch, locations to construct four more FOBs have already been identified. The transport department has sought financial clearance to start the construction. The additional FOBs have been proposed before Tilak bridge on the Mathura Road-Tilak Marg intersection, at ITO crossing at Bahadurshah Zafar Marg near INSA building and opposite Ambedkar Stadium.
The idea, sources said, is to construct the new FOBs before the remaining corridor is made operational so that the confusion faced on the pilot BRT stretch between Ambedkar Nagar and Moolchand can be avoided. It was also observed that pedestrians trying to cross the road were involved in fatal accidents on the stretch and areas like ITO and Tilak bridge witness very heavy pedestrian traffic.
Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com
The construction of three foot overbridges (FOBs) on the pilot Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) corridor has finally begun. In a first for the city, the new FOBs will be fitted with lifts in addition to the now-common escalators. The transport department has also sought approval to construct four more FOBs on the remaining stretch between Moolchand and Delhi Gate.
The FOBs will be located at Madangir, near the dargah, the next about a km ahead near Pushp Vihar and the third before Chirag Dilli crossing. The one located before Chirag Dilli crossing, will also have a ramp which is being designed for cycle users. One end of the cycle ramp will open into the Jahanpanah Greens. "Work on the FOBs has started and they will be ready by April 2009,'' said a senior government official.
At one of the locations, where space was limited, the idea of installing a lift in place of an escalator was floated. Sources said, a decision was later taken to put up lifts on all the other FOBs too, in an attempt to make the FOBs disabled-friendly like the other BRT corridor.
To sort out the problem of pedestrians on the stretch, locations to construct four more FOBs have already been identified. The transport department has sought financial clearance to start the construction. The additional FOBs have been proposed before Tilak bridge on the Mathura Road-Tilak Marg intersection, at ITO crossing at Bahadurshah Zafar Marg near INSA building and opposite Ambedkar Stadium.
The idea, sources said, is to construct the new FOBs before the remaining corridor is made operational so that the confusion faced on the pilot BRT stretch between Ambedkar Nagar and Moolchand can be avoided. It was also observed that pedestrians trying to cross the road were involved in fatal accidents on the stretch and areas like ITO and Tilak bridge witness very heavy pedestrian traffic.
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
MCD invites bids for ITO parking
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com
The project for a multi-level underground parking at Shaheed Bhagat Singh Park on Bahadurshah Zafar Marg is finally ready to take off
with Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) inviting bids for it on Monday. This will be the biggest parking facility made under parks in the city work has already started on four such parking sites. The facility will accommodate about 700 vehicles and the park on top will be restored after work has been completed.
The plan is to construct a ramp parking under half of the total four-acre area of the park. This way, the only green space available in the congested commercial area will be retained while the problem of parking gets sorted out. "The idea behind using only a part of the park is to ensure that people can use it even as construction is going on. The cost of construction as well as maintenance will be recovered through the parking and conversion charges,'' said an MCD official.
The parking, which will go three levels down, is expected to be ready within the next 15 months. The cost of construction is estimated around Rs 60 crore.
While the project will address the parking woes at ITO, the government is trying to expedite it also because creation of a parking space is essential for the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project to take off in the area. Vehicles are now parked all over footpaths and in the service road.
Said an official: "With so many offices in the area, parking has always been a problem. Taking into account the large number of cars parked here, we decided to make the parking at Bahadurshah Zafar Marg larger than other parkings being constructed in the city.'' According to sources, even as there is space for only around 500 cars in the authorized parking lots, around 1,500 vehicles are parked in the area on any given day.
Around 24 such parking facilities will be constructed under the green cover in Delhi. The idea is to have them ready for use before Commonwealth Games. Other parking sites where work is being carried out include Hauz Khas, Munirka, Model Town-II and Gandhi Nagar. Bids have also been called for construction of a parking facility at a vacant plot in Janakpuri. All of them will be conventional parking sites for which cost of construction is low as compared to automated parking sites.
The MCD had proposed a stack parking lot at ITO near the police headquarters in 2007 but the plan has been scrapped as the corporation could not get the required permissions from other agencies to start construction.
Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com
The project for a multi-level underground parking at Shaheed Bhagat Singh Park on Bahadurshah Zafar Marg is finally ready to take off
with Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) inviting bids for it on Monday. This will be the biggest parking facility made under parks in the city work has already started on four such parking sites. The facility will accommodate about 700 vehicles and the park on top will be restored after work has been completed.
The plan is to construct a ramp parking under half of the total four-acre area of the park. This way, the only green space available in the congested commercial area will be retained while the problem of parking gets sorted out. "The idea behind using only a part of the park is to ensure that people can use it even as construction is going on. The cost of construction as well as maintenance will be recovered through the parking and conversion charges,'' said an MCD official.
The parking, which will go three levels down, is expected to be ready within the next 15 months. The cost of construction is estimated around Rs 60 crore.
While the project will address the parking woes at ITO, the government is trying to expedite it also because creation of a parking space is essential for the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project to take off in the area. Vehicles are now parked all over footpaths and in the service road.
Said an official: "With so many offices in the area, parking has always been a problem. Taking into account the large number of cars parked here, we decided to make the parking at Bahadurshah Zafar Marg larger than other parkings being constructed in the city.'' According to sources, even as there is space for only around 500 cars in the authorized parking lots, around 1,500 vehicles are parked in the area on any given day.
Around 24 such parking facilities will be constructed under the green cover in Delhi. The idea is to have them ready for use before Commonwealth Games. Other parking sites where work is being carried out include Hauz Khas, Munirka, Model Town-II and Gandhi Nagar. Bids have also been called for construction of a parking facility at a vacant plot in Janakpuri. All of them will be conventional parking sites for which cost of construction is low as compared to automated parking sites.
The MCD had proposed a stack parking lot at ITO near the police headquarters in 2007 but the plan has been scrapped as the corporation could not get the required permissions from other agencies to start construction.
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Metro will clear roads by July-end
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com
There is good news for Delhi drivers. Jams on MG Road, NH-8, Aurobindo Marg and Vikas Marg among other arterial roads are set to go as
Delhi Metro Rail Corporation has promised to remove all roadblocks and diversions in place for construction work by July-end.
With Delhi Metro's Phase II lines fast getting operational - the Vishwavidyalaya to Jehangirpuri section has already been opened, and the Noida, Mundka and Gurgaon lines are also expected to open by the end of the year — one can expect relief on the city's road network soon. The DMRC chief is understood to have told traffic police at a meeting on Friday that arterial roads including Vikas Marg, UP Link Road, Aurobindo Marg, Outer Ring Road near IIT, MG Road, Rohtak Road, Dhaula Kuan, parts of Lutyens Delhi and INA will be cleared of all construction activity within two months.
"After that happens, the roads will be restored and recarpeted. The traffic signals, bus shelters and other such street furniture which has been removed for the construction will be set up again on the stretches and free movement of traffic will be allowed soon after," said sources. Areas where the Badarpur and Airport metro lines are coming up, however, may not be cleared immediately as the approvals for these lines came last. DMRC officials said construction on parts of these two lines would take some more time.
Relief is also on way on the congested Naraina T-point where a flyover is being constructed by Public Works Department. Sources said construction of the flyover would be completed by September after which the plan is to use the flyover for one-way movement of traffic on Ring Road while traffic in the opposite direction will move on one side of the Ring Road.
"This will ensure that some space is available at the ground level for the finishing work like road relaying and restoration. The traffic situation at Naraina is only expected to get better from now on," said a senior traffic police official.
This is expected to bring a lot of relief to Delhi's stretched road network where constricted road space due to all the construction had resulted in major chaos in the past few years. The situation was particularly bad last year when all the construction was at its peak. After this, only very few roads will be left with construction.
Saturday, May 9, 2009
East Delhi to get Metro from tomorrow
Saturday, May 09, 2009
Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com
Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com
Residents of East Delhi will be able to enjoy the comfort of Metro trains from tomorrow as the DMRC will launch its services from the newly-constructed Yamuna Bank station.
The extension of Metro Line 3 and the launch of Metro service from the newly-constructed Yamuna Bank metro station was earlier scheduled for May two, but postponed due to the elections in the national capital.
There will be no function tomorrow as the Model of Conduct is still in force in the country.
The extension of Metro Line 3 will allow the residents of East Delhi locality to enjoy the comfort of Metro.
"The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) will be extending the existing Line 3 (Dwarka Sector 9Indraprastha) upto Yamuna Bank, a distance of 2.1 kms, from May 10," .
Metro trains will be available from Yamuna Bank Metro Station from 6 am in the morning upto 11 pm in the night from tomorrow. The frequency of trains will be between 4 to 10 minutes approximately as per the peak hour traffic requirement.
To make travelling easier for commuters, a new Metro Feeder Bus Service will also be started from the Yamuna Bank Station to Mayur Vihar Phase-III.
The extension of Metro Line 3 and the launch of Metro service from the newly-constructed Yamuna Bank metro station was earlier scheduled for May two, but postponed due to the elections in the national capital.
There will be no function tomorrow as the Model of Conduct is still in force in the country.
The extension of Metro Line 3 will allow the residents of East Delhi locality to enjoy the comfort of Metro.
"The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) will be extending the existing Line 3 (Dwarka Sector 9Indraprastha) upto Yamuna Bank, a distance of 2.1 kms, from May 10," .
Metro trains will be available from Yamuna Bank Metro Station from 6 am in the morning upto 11 pm in the night from tomorrow. The frequency of trains will be between 4 to 10 minutes approximately as per the peak hour traffic requirement.
To make travelling easier for commuters, a new Metro Feeder Bus Service will also be started from the Yamuna Bank Station to Mayur Vihar Phase-III.
Monday, May 4, 2009
Out shopping? Go 'wallet' parking
Saturday, May 2, 2009
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com
Pay up. You may or may not get the necessary services. But one thing is for sure. With both NDMC and MCD hiking up parking charges, taking out the car will definitely burn a hole in your pocket.
The hike will hurt most office-goers and shoppers, who tend to park their cars for long durations.
The moolah
Come September, the NDMC is all set to revise its parking charges upwards in Connaught Place, Dilli Haat, Sarojini Nagar Market and Yashwant Place to Rs 20 for the first hour and Rs 10 for each subsequent hours. So the next time you go out on a shopping spree, you better budget for parking charges as well. And by the next year, this NDMC infection is likely to be passed on to MCD areas like South Extension, Karol Bagh, GK-I Market. In other words, you would be forced to think twice before taking out your car to almost anywhere in the city.
The MCD is not far behind when it comes to rationalisation of parking charges. While you paid a standard Rs 10 for parking a car for 12 hours and Rs 5 for scooters, the new system will be hourly-based.
Under the new system, one has to pay Rs 5 for parking the car for first two hours and Rs 3 for every additional hour. Similarly, one would be paying Rs 5 for the first four hours of scooter parking and Rs 2 for every two hours. Thus, one has pay Rs 25 for parking his car for 12 hours instead of Rs 10.
Parking nightmare
Check out any parking area and you can see how chaos reigns. In commercial areas the situation is even worse. Rude and unhelpful attendants, slow moving traffic and lack of a parking management strategy have made parking a living nightmare.
The chaos in the current scenario is attributed to the fact that parking has not been made a lucrative business. For instance, the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) earns approximately Rs 2-3 crore from its 150 parking lots, while Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) earns an equally paltry Rs 12 crore annually from 100 parking lots. Most of the cash is pocketed well before it reaches the right coffers, say officials.
This may just be the tip of the iceberg. According to an MCD official, parking tenders are manipulated by local councillors and MLAs, who influence civic officials and police, on behalf of the tender mafia. And the net profit is huge. "You need muscle power to run a parking lot. An average parking lot fetches between Rs 1 lakh and Rs 5 lakh per month," the official said.
How it will change
MCD claims that parking charges will be hiked only after it provides some basic facilities. The civic agency plans to introduce computerised entry and exits at parking spaces, along with toilets, fire-fighting equipments, public address systems and power backup.
While the new payment scheme will come into practice at three MCD parking lots at the multi-level parking in Asaf Ali Road and Church Mission Road and Gandhi Maidan Parking near Fountain Chowk with immediate effect, it will be implemented at the other parking lots in a phased manner, say MCD officials.
And to ensure that the notorious parking contractors do not continue to take the vehicle owners for a ride, the new parking policy has made it "compulsory" for those manning parking sites to issue both the acknowledgement receipt and parking charge receipt printed only through the computers, having special software provided by the MCD that cannot be doctored.
The MCD has also identified all unauthorised parking lots across the city. These sites will be regularised and given to contractors through auction. At present, the MCD officially has less than 70 parking sites, while the number of unauthorised ones is estimated to be in several hundreds. As a result, the revenue loss runs in crores.
MCD has also developed signages for the parking lots that would be strictly adhered to by the contractors. Besides, space for commercial advertisements, it would contain all relevant details about the contractor and the parking lot. "Contract from now onwards would be for three years and not for one year," officials said.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com
Pay up. You may or may not get the necessary services. But one thing is for sure. With both NDMC and MCD hiking up parking charges, taking out the car will definitely burn a hole in your pocket.
The hike will hurt most office-goers and shoppers, who tend to park their cars for long durations.
The moolah
Come September, the NDMC is all set to revise its parking charges upwards in Connaught Place, Dilli Haat, Sarojini Nagar Market and Yashwant Place to Rs 20 for the first hour and Rs 10 for each subsequent hours. So the next time you go out on a shopping spree, you better budget for parking charges as well. And by the next year, this NDMC infection is likely to be passed on to MCD areas like South Extension, Karol Bagh, GK-I Market. In other words, you would be forced to think twice before taking out your car to almost anywhere in the city.
The MCD is not far behind when it comes to rationalisation of parking charges. While you paid a standard Rs 10 for parking a car for 12 hours and Rs 5 for scooters, the new system will be hourly-based.
Under the new system, one has to pay Rs 5 for parking the car for first two hours and Rs 3 for every additional hour. Similarly, one would be paying Rs 5 for the first four hours of scooter parking and Rs 2 for every two hours. Thus, one has pay Rs 25 for parking his car for 12 hours instead of Rs 10.
Parking nightmare
Check out any parking area and you can see how chaos reigns. In commercial areas the situation is even worse. Rude and unhelpful attendants, slow moving traffic and lack of a parking management strategy have made parking a living nightmare.
The chaos in the current scenario is attributed to the fact that parking has not been made a lucrative business. For instance, the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) earns approximately Rs 2-3 crore from its 150 parking lots, while Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) earns an equally paltry Rs 12 crore annually from 100 parking lots. Most of the cash is pocketed well before it reaches the right coffers, say officials.
This may just be the tip of the iceberg. According to an MCD official, parking tenders are manipulated by local councillors and MLAs, who influence civic officials and police, on behalf of the tender mafia. And the net profit is huge. "You need muscle power to run a parking lot. An average parking lot fetches between Rs 1 lakh and Rs 5 lakh per month," the official said.
How it will change
MCD claims that parking charges will be hiked only after it provides some basic facilities. The civic agency plans to introduce computerised entry and exits at parking spaces, along with toilets, fire-fighting equipments, public address systems and power backup.
While the new payment scheme will come into practice at three MCD parking lots at the multi-level parking in Asaf Ali Road and Church Mission Road and Gandhi Maidan Parking near Fountain Chowk with immediate effect, it will be implemented at the other parking lots in a phased manner, say MCD officials.
And to ensure that the notorious parking contractors do not continue to take the vehicle owners for a ride, the new parking policy has made it "compulsory" for those manning parking sites to issue both the acknowledgement receipt and parking charge receipt printed only through the computers, having special software provided by the MCD that cannot be doctored.
The MCD has also identified all unauthorised parking lots across the city. These sites will be regularised and given to contractors through auction. At present, the MCD officially has less than 70 parking sites, while the number of unauthorised ones is estimated to be in several hundreds. As a result, the revenue loss runs in crores.
MCD has also developed signages for the parking lots that would be strictly adhered to by the contractors. Besides, space for commercial advertisements, it would contain all relevant details about the contractor and the parking lot. "Contract from now onwards would be for three years and not for one year," officials said.
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Opening of Metro line put off for polls
Friday, May 1, 2009
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com
The opening of the extension of Delhi Metro's Line 3 till the Yamuna Bank station has been postponed to May 10. The decision to shift the opening after May 7 was taken due to the elections.
According to sources, there was a feeling that the opening of a new Metro line (extension) so close to the elections could have an impact on the votes in that particular area. The Yamuna Bank metro station was earlier scheduled to open on May 2. This extension will add 2.1 kms to the existing Line 3 to cross over to the other side of river Yamuna. "The new Metro station at Yamuna Bank will now be opened for public from May 10 due to the elections,'' said a DMRC spokesperson.
The first train for Dwarka Sector 9 station will leave from Yamuna Bank at 6 am. Thereafter, trains will be available from the station till 11 pm at a frequency of 4-10 minutes as per the peak hour traffic requirement.
DMRC will also start new feeder bus services from Yamuna Bank station to Mayur Vihar Phase 3 via Vikas Marg, New Patparganj Road, Mother Dairy, Mayur Vihar Phase-II, Pocket C, Kalyanpuri, Kondli, Gharole and Mayur Vihar Phase-III. The service will also be available from May 2. The corporation has sought permission for another feeder route from Yamuna Bank to Jheel/Rajgarh Colony via Geeta Colony, Shiv Puri, Rashid Market, Khureji, Shakarpur, Laxmi Nagar and Vikas Marg.
For those living in areas where the feeder services don't reach, the new station has a huge parking lot spread across 5,000 sq metre for over 400 cars where Metro users can leave their cars.
The opening of the section is expected to reduce pressure on Line 1 (Dilshad Garden to Rithala) as surveys reveal that residents of east Delhi can take the Metro from this station, which is much closer than the existing last stop of the line at Indraprastha or the nearest station of Line 1 at Shastri Park.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com
The opening of the extension of Delhi Metro's Line 3 till the Yamuna Bank station has been postponed to May 10. The decision to shift the opening after May 7 was taken due to the elections.
According to sources, there was a feeling that the opening of a new Metro line (extension) so close to the elections could have an impact on the votes in that particular area. The Yamuna Bank metro station was earlier scheduled to open on May 2. This extension will add 2.1 kms to the existing Line 3 to cross over to the other side of river Yamuna. "The new Metro station at Yamuna Bank will now be opened for public from May 10 due to the elections,'' said a DMRC spokesperson.
The first train for Dwarka Sector 9 station will leave from Yamuna Bank at 6 am. Thereafter, trains will be available from the station till 11 pm at a frequency of 4-10 minutes as per the peak hour traffic requirement.
DMRC will also start new feeder bus services from Yamuna Bank station to Mayur Vihar Phase 3 via Vikas Marg, New Patparganj Road, Mother Dairy, Mayur Vihar Phase-II, Pocket C, Kalyanpuri, Kondli, Gharole and Mayur Vihar Phase-III. The service will also be available from May 2. The corporation has sought permission for another feeder route from Yamuna Bank to Jheel/Rajgarh Colony via Geeta Colony, Shiv Puri, Rashid Market, Khureji, Shakarpur, Laxmi Nagar and Vikas Marg.
For those living in areas where the feeder services don't reach, the new station has a huge parking lot spread across 5,000 sq metre for over 400 cars where Metro users can leave their cars.
The opening of the section is expected to reduce pressure on Line 1 (Dilshad Garden to Rithala) as surveys reveal that residents of east Delhi can take the Metro from this station, which is much closer than the existing last stop of the line at Indraprastha or the nearest station of Line 1 at Shastri Park.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
