New Delhi, Jul 17 (PTI) Delhi Traffic Police is conducting a pilot project to make the entire stretch from Netaji Subhash Place (NSP) to Rohini heliport signal-free by introducing U-turn loops and redesigning intersections to ease congestion and improve vehicular movement, officials said on Thursday.
The 12-kilometre corridor, which begins from NSP on Ring Road and merges with Bhagwan Mahavir Marg at Madhuban Chowk before continuing to the heliport, is being modified in three phases. If the project is successful, we will expand this to other congestion-prone areas as well, said DCP (Traffic), Northern Range, Sandhya Swamy.
“The first segment, from NSP to Madhuban Chowk via Ashiyana Chowk and Pitampura metro station, has already seen one intersection converted under a pilot project, with two more likely to be taken up later on,” traffic police said.
“The second stretch, from Madhuban Chowk to Rithala, has undergone major changes. Three traffic signals have been taken out of operation, one at Rithala metro station, with the LED aspects removed, poles remain standing, one outside Rajiv Gandhi Cancer Hospital is now switched off, and one near Rohini West metro station is currently in blinking mode,” they added.
To support these changes, five new cuts have been made in the central verge of Bhagwan Mahavir Marg, near Rithala metro station on both east and west sides, close to the DCP Rohini office, opposite the Rohini DTC Depot, and outside the outgate of Dr Baba Saheb Ambedkar Hospital.
“The U-turns are made with enough turning radius to accommodate all types of vehicles. The area faces congestion due to commercial activity, market-related traffic and short distances between signals. With this initiative, we aim to address these issues and make the stretch congestion-free,” the DCP added.
The final leg, from Rithala to Rohini heliport via sectors 24 and 25, has been identified for similar intervention. Traffic police said work on this segment is expected to begin soon.
A similar model was implemented last month in north Delhi on Hakikat Nagar to King’s Way Camp corridor. Two signals were removed and U-turns created near Vishwa Vidyalaya metro station, Hakikat Nala, and the New Police Lines (NPL) gate number three. While the signal poles remain, the red light cycle has been reduced to 30 seconds to allow pedestrian movement until pelican lights are installed.
Officials said the U-turn near NPL gate number three is currently accessible only to heavy goods vehicle (HGV), while regular traffic can turn at the other two points.
Vehicles now move uninterrupted from Mall Road to King’s Way Camp, with the next signal appearing only near Model Town. The original plan for a signal-free corridor between Vidhan Sabha and Mall Road was cancelled as the congestion issue was not solved, the DCP said.
“We are working towards making Delhi’s most congested roads easier for commuters to travel. Earlier, each vehicle had to wait for five to 10 minutes near the Mall Road junctions. But now, traffic flows without those delays,” Swamy said.
Atul Ranjeet Kumar, secretary general (national) of Guru Hanuman Society of Bharat, said, “More than 50 crossings and T-points across Delhi have been made signal-free under the U-turn scheme since 2016. These include spots on Ring Road, Outer Ring Road, Majnu Ka Tila, Rohini District Prisons, Deepali Chowk, Pitampura, KNK Marg, Lala Jagat Narayan Marg, the former Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) corridor and Vikas Marg.” He said the scheme has been particularly effective in areas where flyovers or underpasses are not feasible due to elevated metro lines and structural limitations. It offers a low-cost, immediate solution that has helped reduce congestion, improve air quality, cut fuel consumption, and even bring down incidents of snatching and theft that tend to occur during long traffic halts. PTI SGV SGV MNK MNK
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