New Delhi: After easing congestion on Vikas Marg, Delhi Traffic Police is working on creating another signal-free corridor in east Delhi by shutting down three major traffic lights on Swami Dayanand Marg.The stretch is among east Delhi’s key arterial roads, carrying heavy traffic in Shahdara, Krishna Nagar, Gandhi Nagar, Anand Vihar and Karkardooma. The corridor also acts as a major feeder route to Vikas Marg through Karkari Mor and other connecting junctions, providing a major link for commuters travelling towards ITO, central Delhi, Akshardham and Noida.The traffic police plans to make an around four-km stretch between Keshav Chowk and Jagatpuri signal-free by removing signals at Bihari Colony, East Azad Nagar, Krishna Nagar and near Swarn Cinema.“A trial has started at Bihari Colony. At East Azad Nagar and Krishna Nagar, Delhi Jal Board is laying underground sewer lines and the work is expected to be completed by June 30. The Krishna Nagar junction is also being studied because of uneven road levels before the final traffic arrangement is put in place,” a traffic cop said. The plan is likely to be implemented over a month, he added.Keshav Chowk, one of the major choke points, handles traffic from three busy directions. Vehicles arrive here from the Shahdara-GT Road side towards Mandi, from the Bhajanpura side through a U-turn and from Jafrabad. During peak hours, these streams often pile up at the signal, resulting in long queues and delays.The problem continues further along Swami Dayanand Marg. “There are nearly 39 openings and merging points between Karkari Mor and Bihari Colony. Every time vehicles need to turn at signals, through traffic has to be stopped, slowing movement across the entire stretch,” said the officer.To support the plan, Public Works Department, on the recommendation of the traffic police, is working to create U-turns.The move follows the signal-free corridor experiment on Vikas Marg, where six traffic signals between ITO and Karkari Mor were discontinued and eight back-to-back U-turns were created to reduce chronic congestion around the Laxmi Nagar market and surrounding residential areas.Even after that intervention, Karkari Mor remained a major concern. One of the busiest intersections on Vikas Marg, it receives traffic from five directions: Vikas Marg, Swami Dayanand Marg, the Hassanpur Depot side of Swami Dayanand Marg, Bhartendu Harish Chandra Marg and Master Plan Road.Traffic authorities once closed the straight-through movement at Karkari Mor and conducted trials to improve traffic flow. However, the arrangement did not work as expected because of the limited road capacity and the large volume of vehicles. The trial was eventually rolled back and the signal is currently being operated manually.With limited scope for further changes there for now, traffic officers believe that creating a signal-free corridor on Swami Dayanand Marg could improve traffic movement across a key east Delhi route and complement the measures undertaken on Vikas Marg.
