NEW DELHI: The Rao Tula Ram flyover opened for two-way general traffic on Sunday evening around 5.30pm amid much apprehension. Though traffic cops claimed that the move would reduce time required to move from IIT to Moti Bagh and vice versa considerably and also benefit traffic moving from Dwarka to IIT, commuters disagreed. With streetlights not functioning till 6.10pm on the stretch, the opening of the flyover was in darkness, adding to the confusion.
''I took the flyover thinking I would zip through but ended up slowly crawling from R&R Hospital till the end of the hospital near Somnath Marg. The streetlights were not even switched on,'' claimed Gurpreet .
As the evening progressed, some commuters complained of major jams on top of the flyover. ''I have been stuck on top of the flyover for the past 20 minutes. I am coming from Gurgaon side. Though there are no traffic lights, traffic has come to a complete halt,'' said a harried Neha.
However, traffic officials claimed that traffic woes would decrease once people are more familiar with the two-way flyover. '' People need to be aware that only light vehicles will be allowed on the flyover and vehicles carrying goods are not allowed. We will have traffic personnel deployed at the entry points of the flyover to ensure violations don't take place. For the time being, we have two cranes on either side of the flyover in case any vehicle breaks down,'' said joint commissioner of police (traffic) Satyendra Garg.
For commuters travelling alongside the flyover at the ground level, there is some good news — stop-time at the red lights below the flyover will decrease. '' For commuters from Dwarka to Moti Bagh, the journey will be virtually signal-free and travellers from IIT towards Moti Bagh will save time,'' said JCP Garg.
'' I am worried what will happen once schools reopen on Monday after the weekend. There are 19 schools in Vasant Vihar. The only solution is to widen the flyover and make it a double-carriageway ,'' said Rajni Mathur, a Vasant Vihar RWA member. In case a vehicle breaks down on the flyover, it will mean long jams as both carriageways will be blocked because the crane needed to move the vehicle will occupy the other carriageway.
'' The Munirka-Nelson Mandela Marg and Poorvi Marg-Vasant Vihar intersections are jammed with vehicles and coming from Gurgaon is a nightmare. If this is the situation on Sunday, what will happen tomorrow ? Traffic is hardly moving from before R&R right up to Poorvi Marg,'' said Samir Bhagat, a Vasant Vihar RWA member.
For south Delhi commuters, it is a wait-and-watch scenario. They claim that rental rates in the area have drastically come down ever since the flyover was opened, with residents opting to move to Shantiniketan and Anand Niketan areas to avoid the daily jams.
NO RELIEF: Commuters said the change in traffic plan failed to ease snarls
Read more: RTR flyover traffic crawls in darkness – The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/RTR-flyover-traffic-crawls-in-darkness/articleshow/7090506.cms#ixzz180E6nNzf