Trial run held of Games traffic plan

NEW DELHI - The trial run of a traffic plan reserving road lanes for vehicles that will ferry Commonwealth Games athletes and officials was conducted Sunday by the Delhi traffic police in south Delhi’s Lodhi Colony area.

The trial run was conducted 11 a.m.-2 p.m on a 3-km stretch on Lodhi Road.

“The trial for the Games lanes was started from today (Sunday). About 40 traffic cops were deployed to educate people on the Games lanes so that motorists get used to it before the event in October,” Satyendra Garg, joint commissioner of police (Traffic), told IANS.

He also said the trial was conducted on both carriageways of Lodhi Road.

In the coming weeks, trials will be held on roads near the airport, the Games village, the Thyagaraj Stadium and other Games venues.

“Initially, the trials will be carried out on weekends and later during weekdays. This arrangement will help commuters understand the special traffic movement during the Games,” Garg added.

“The trials will be first done in three-laned roads and by the first week of September, it will be started in two-laned roads. Sardar Patel Marg and Kamal Attaturk Road, which form part of the Games routes, will also be used for trials,” he informed.

Meanwhile, many commuters feel that the traffic congestion during the Games may get worse, particularly on two-laned roads as these are already carrying more traffic than their capacity.

Speaking about the traffic arrangements during the Games, Garg said: “We are planning out ways so that no traffic congestion will happen during the Games.”

“Traffic police will hold talks with the Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) officials and we will jointly come out with a plan to ease traffic during the event,” he said.