Study sounds alarm on rising traffic from NCR towns

Monday, 3 May 2010


It seems Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit's worries over growing number of vehicles entering capital from NCR cities and its effect on Delhi traffic are not unfounded. A government-commissioned study has found that traffic in the capital will crawl in next few years if substantial measures are not taken to check the flow of traffic into Delhi from Gurgaon, Ghaziabad and Noida.

The study predicts that in the next 11 years, personal trips within Delhi will increase by around 50% — from 120 lakh to 180 lakh — but trips from neighbouring cities will see an increase of 200%. It says that currently nearly 40 lakh trips are made to Delhi by those living in NCR towns but by 2020, over 95 lakh such trips will be made daily.

Senior government officials said traffic on roads that join Delhi to Gurgaon, Noida and Ghaziabad has witnessed a substantial increase in the past few years. Experts said everyday nearly 8-9 lakh vehicles enter the capital from these three cities. This is the reason, they said, why most parts of the main arterial roads — Ring Road and Outer Ring Road — that connect national highways and link roads to these NCR cities are experiencing major snarls.

Though traffic experts feel the commuters find new roads and routes to avoid the congestion on arterial roads, the spill-over effect has now started choking internal roads in residential colonies. With the pressure increasing on the main arterial roads, the situation is likely to worsen further.

''The traffic in Gurgaon and Noida has grown by almost 20-25% per annum and that is huge. The growth is mostly in the form of private vehicles hitting the road since public transport in these cities is missing,'' said a traffic expert.

The origin-destination survey carried out by the RITES has revealed how the exceptional increase in the private vehicles is choking the city roads. Cars and two-wheelers have become the most preferred modes of transportation for those who commute daily to their offices.

The survey suggested that private vehicles grab almost 80% of the road space, but ferries only 30% commuters. ''The average car occupancy is calculated around 2.2 persons per car. While the cars coming from NCR cities are fairly occupied, most of the cars moving within the city are used by one or two persons,'' said an official.

The survey suggested there was a need to push for more fast trains between Delhi and its adjoining cities as proposed by the NCR Planning Board (NCRPB) to take the load off roads. It noted that ''BRT corridors should be laid in areas where there was enough road space'' and that these should be connected to the Metro network. The RITES survey also suggested the need of a peripheral Metro line connecting all Metro corridors.

Original news source http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/NEWS/City/Delhi/Study-sounds-alarm-on-rising-traffic-from-NCR-towns/articleshow/5884394.cms