Gurugram: Traffic plan at city chowk a success on first day of trial run

The first day of the trial run of the new traffic plan at the Shahid Hawaldar Singh Chowk near Huda City Centre Metro station was a success, much to the relief of commuters who said lifting the traffic diversions helped decongest the junction. Traffic police officials said they will extend the trial till Tuesday to properly assess the impact of the trial run.

On Saturday morning, the Gurugram traffic police removed all the traffic diversions at the junction located near Kanhai Chowk, which helped decongest the traffic.

Plastic jersey barriers blocking the chowk were removed, allowing commuters to head straight towards Golf Course Road (GCR) via St Thomas Marg from Kanhai Chowk as well take a right turn towards Golf Course Extension Road (GCER).

Commuters did not have to take a left towards HCC and then take a U-turn opposite Gold Souk Mall to head towards GCR or GCER, as was mandatory before the traffic trail was put into effect.

Commuters said the removal of the plastic jersey barriers at the Shahid Hawaldar Singh Chowk helped decongest the junction, especially on the carriageway carrying traffic from HCC towards GCER on Ambedkar Road, and saved them around five minutes of travelling time.

“Usually, I wait for the traffic signals to turn green twice to cross the junction. Today (Saturday) however, I could go ahead after the first signal as the traffic volume on Ambedkar Road was much less than usual,” said Mihir Kohli, a resident of DLF 5.

Due to the u-turn opposite Gold Souk Mall and the left cut heading towards St Thomas Marg in close proximity, commuters often had to veer from the right-most carriageway towards the left quickly, which resulted in crisscross driving and congestion.

“Coming from Kanhai Chowk, I was able to head directly towards GCER by taking a right turn. It saved me more than 10 minutes of travelling time, and I hope this becomes a permanent change,” said Harshit Shukla, a resident of Sector 70.

From 2018 onwards, traffic police blocked one exit at the Shahid Hawaldar Singh Chowk during peak traffic hours to help reduce waiting time. Since October last year, they made it a permanent feature.

Tomar said due to a change in the traffic pattern, the traffic police decided to remove all diversions on a trial basis. He conceded that the success of the trial can only be gauged after assessing its impact on peak traffic hours on weekdays.

“On Saturday, the feedback from the public and traffic marshalls on-ground was positive. To ensure a more proper assessment, we have decided to extend the trial by one more day till Tuesday. Two days of weekday traffic with a higher volume of vehicles will give us a better picture,” said Tomar adding that on Tuesday evening, the traffic police will take a call on making the changes a permanent one or reverting back to the diversions.