Urban News

The proposed development of the station had come in for opposition from the Delhi Traffic Police and Delhi Development Authority which said it would lead to traffic congestion. To find a solution, RITES studied traffic patterns on the roads around the New Delhi Railway Station, linking Barakhamba Road, Tolstoy Marg, Baba Kharak Singh Marg, Shaheed Bhagat Singh Marg, Panchkuian Road and the Connaught Place Outer Circle. The report has been submitted to the United Traffic and Transportation (Planning and Engineering) Centre for approval.

The study states a Electronic Road Pricing (ERP) shall be applicable on private vehicles, while buses would be allowed to operate in the area without any charge. Commuters with offices in the area using private vehicles shall be charged a discounted price. “ERP, combined with good mass transport availability, will go a long way in not only reducing traffic, but also in curtailing the use of private vehicles and prompting people to shift to public transport. This will also address the parking problems in the area,” the study states.

However, all vehicles will be required to have an electronic in-vehicle unit that accepts credit in the form of a smart card so that tolls are automatically paid when the vehicle passes through a gate. Automatic number plate recognition, photo billing and enforcement is used in cities like Rome, Stockholm and London where the system is already in place. 

“Such measures are being used in cities like London, where an Indian company is carrying out the project. However, the technology still has to be imported. The Transport department has been asked to conduct two separate studies to figure out the exact areas and locations for congestion pricing,” said Chief Secretary Rakesh Mehta. There is also a move to work out a high-security number plate system that will track the incoming and outgoing vehicles thus negating the need for manual toll barriers.

Special Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Ajay Chadha, however, said implementation will be difficult. “It involves a complicated procedure and is also going to be cost intensive. If toll barriers come up they will hold up traffic further, making matters worse,” he said.

Can cut traffic by 30 pc

ANALYSIS shows about 9,000 pcu/hr (passenger car units per hour) flow in and out of the area earmarked for the ERP. The project will cut this by up to 30 per cent. The idea is to divert the non-destined traffic, which currently accounts for 60 per cent of the total traffic in the area, from Connaught Place. There will be also be a 10 to 15 per cent fall in short-term parking demand for the destined traffic.

“We requested the BMC to allow trenching during the monsoon and explained why soil testing is crucial. They have agreed and we’re thankful to the BMC commissioner,” said Ratnakar Gaikwad, metropolitan commissioner, MMRDA. “Soil testing reports are crucial for floating a civil works tender. If BMC hadn’t allowed it, it would have delayed the project slightly.”

“The BMC has allowed us to go ahead with soil testing,” said K P Maheshwari, senior executive vice president of Rinfra. Officials say it will not take more than two months to complete the soil tests that remain.