Gurgaon: Traffic congestion has started building up on Vyapar Kendra and Galleria market roads even before the proposed restoration of two-way traffic. The proposed change comes nearly 11 years after the roads were converted to one-way stretches to ease congestion. GMDA is now preparing to restore two-way traffic after widening work on the roads is nearly complete. Plastic divider bollards are also being installed along Vyapar Kendra Road as part of the preparations.Amid preparations, questions over whether the stretches can handle vehicles moving in both directions without stricter parking enforcement and removal of encroachments have triggered concerns. The situation is particularly problematic outside Aravali ShriRam School on Galleria Market Road, where vehicles parked along the roadside occupy nearly half the carriageway for two to three hours daily, local residents told TOI. The obstruction is most pronounced during school arrival and dispersal hours, leaving limited space for moving traffic and adding to congestion.Residents have questioned the lack of effective enforcement against vehicles parked on the road despite the recurring problem. They fear that allowing traffic to move in both directions without first addressing the parking issue could worsen bottlenecks and create difficulties for motorists. Illegal parking and roadside vendors selling fruits and other goods are also reducing the available road space along both stretches. With vehicles already competing for limited space, motorists could face additional difficulties when traffic begins flowing simultaneously in opposite directions.Whether road widening alone will be sufficient to ensure smooth traffic movement is a key question among the residents and commuters, who told TOI that roadside parking and encroachments need to be addressed “before the new arrangement is fully implemented”. The immediate challenge for the authorities will be to ensure that the additional road space is not lost to roadside parking and commercial encroachments. Without effective enforcement, commuters fear the change intended to improve connectivity could instead create fresh traffic bottlenecks.On Wednesday, municipal councillor Vikas Yadav, representing Ward 22, posted on X seeking a review of the two-way traffic arrangement following congestion on the stretch. Yadav said the two-way traffic trial from Millennium City Centre to Sushant Arcade, Block B, was resulting in recurring traffic jams. He urged chief minister Nayab Singh Saini, the ministers and GMDA officials to intervene and reassess the arrangement before it is implemented fully. He said traffic movement should be assessed before introducing two-way operations and stressed that parking management, removal of encroachments and adequate safety measures were essential to prevent congestion from worsening.
