Traffic police to start three-day traffic trial at Rajiv Chowk from tomorrow

Starting this Saturday, the Gurugram traffic police will reduce crisscrossing of traffic and set up dedicated waiting areas for vehicles as well as pedestrians at the Rajiv Chowk on a trial basis for three days. Officials from the traffic police said the changes will help decongest the junction on the Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway and make it safer for both motorists and pedestrians.

“During the trial period, waiting areas would be created for vehicles and lane streamlining will be taken up to ensure smooth traffic flow and prevent dangerous crossovers. These steps are expected to enhance pedestrian safety,” said Ravinder Singh Tomar, deputy commissioner of police (traffic).

Traffic officials said they will reduce the lane-width of carriageways with plastic jersey barriers in such a manner that merging and crisscrossing of traffic coming from the direction of Sohna Road, Mini Secretariat, and the service lanes of Delhi-Gurgaon expressway is reduced and pedestrians have a shorter distance to cross from one end to the other.

With the help of jersey barriers, the traffic police, along with members of an NGO and road safety officers (RSOs), will set up a drop/pick-up area for taxis, autos, and buses. This waiting area will be set up on the left hand side of Rajiv Chowk, just 30-40 metres before the junction, on the service lanes of the expressway carrying traffic from Delhi towards Jaipur.

For pedestrians, waiting areas will be created in each of the three directions with plastic jersey barriers.

Rajiv Chowk is one of the most accident-prone spots in the city and is termed as a ‘black spot’ by the district administration. Any 500-metre stretch which records more than five road fatalities in a three-year period is considered a black spot.

According to a report prepared by WRI India, Raahgiri Foundation, and Nagarro and submitted before the district road safety committee in August 2021, there were 23 road fatalities recorded at the junction between 2017-2020.

The report said signal-free movement at the intersection leaves pedestrians and cyclists vulnerable to accidents while crossing the road. It also highlighted that a non-motorised-transport (NMT) underpass is in a dilapidated state and is poorly lit, unclean and unsafe, due to which it is rarely used by cyclists and pedestrians.

The report further stated both the NMT underpass as well as a pedestrian bridge at the intersection are “impractical” to use as they increase the distance by three times. To overcome this, experts recommended setting up dedicated at-grade pedestrian crossings, such as refuge islands, at the intersection along with pelican lights so that pedestrians and cyclists can navigate the intersection safely in the shortest distance.

Further, experts called for the installation of signals to check the speed of vehicles and ensure pedestrians have adequate time to cross the road.

Sewa Ram, an urban transport systems design expert and a faculty member at the School of Planning and Architecture (SPA), Delhi, said, “The traffic trial at Rajiv Chowk is unlikely to succeed as there is no continuity in the safety measures. Pedestrians and cyclists have to cross multiple stretches, not just the junction alone. Unless the jersey barriers are extended towards Tau Devi Lal stadium or towards Mini Secretariat on the other end, accidents and traffic congestion will continue to persist.”