Traffic plan works, jams give trade fair a miss

Tuesday, Nov 23, 2010




Unlike its earlier editions, the India International Trade Fair this year has not seen any major traffic snarls around the premises of Pragati Maidan — where it is being held since November 14 — including on Mathura Road, Bhairon Marg and the Purana Qila Road.

According to officials, around one lakh people have been visiting the Trade Fair daily since it opened for the general public on November 19. Despite the crowd, the Delhi Traffic Police maintains that their meticulous planning, along with zero tolerance for violations, has led to smooth vehicular movement.

"This year, we worked on the basic premise that congestion is caused by people who stop or park their vehicles improperly on Mathura Road, Bhairon Marg and the Purana Qila Road. So, we made enforcement strict. And then people themselves are not trying to violate the law," Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Satyendra Garg told Newsline.

For the IITF, the Traffic Police has deployed 10 tow-away cranes, 32 motorcycle-borne personnel, and 370 other staff at various levels working in one single shift to ensure enforcement.

The result: in the past seven days there have been only nine violations of improper parking, and 33 people have been challaned for stopping on the road. The challan figures stood at 108 during IITF-2009.

"It is interesting how people have understood the good intentions of the Traffic Police and there are such few violations. The public announcement system is also working properly, and our men ensure there is no congestion on roads and the pedestrians are helped," Garg said.

The police also wants the pedestrians to use the foot overbridge. "We could not enforce the use of FOB this time due to accessibility and mobility issues. So, we decided to facilitate the movement of pedestrians," he said. Blocking all right turns on the Mathura Road has also helped ease traffic flow. The IITF is on till November 27.

Original news source http://www.indianexpress.com/news/traffic-plan-works-jams-give-trade-fair-a-miss/714674/0