Integrating athletes movement schedule with traffic management

Delhi traffic police Monday received a tentative schedule for the movement of Commonwealth Games athletes from their rooms to 26 practice venues.

"We have received a tentative schedule and traffic arrangements will be done according to it" said Special Commissioner (Traffic) Ajay Chadha. The athletes are expected to arrive between Sep 20 and 23. Around 7,000 players and delegates are expected to arrive for the Oct 3-14 Games.

According to police, the traffic plan to ferry athletes from the Indira Gandhi International Airport to their hotel rooms has already been discussed.

"There would be restrictions on the Games lanes even during night hours from Sep 20-23. It is mainly due to the majority of international flights arriving here at night", said Chadha.

Officials from various participating countries will start reaching the capital this week. The schedule pertaining to the arrival of the athletes and the Games officials were handed to the police much earlier.

The main cause of worry for the traffic police was about the schedule of the athletes and number of vehicles involved in their transportation to different venues for training purposes. But with the schedule now, the traffic police are engaged in preparing a detailed plan for their movement.

'The schedule was needed to see where and when the athletes would be going for the training sessions and and how many buses would be required to ferry them,' added Chadha.

There are 26 practice venues for different games which include Yamuna Sports Complex, Major Dhyan Chand National stadium, Delhi Public School, R.K. Puram, Delhi University, Thyagaraj Sports Complex, Dr. Karni Singh Shooting Range CRPF Campus, Kadarpur, Siri Fort Sports Complex and R.K. Khanna Sports Complex.

Police have already started trials on the Games lanes to gauge the impact on the general traffic during the event. A slew of guidelines have been issued for motorists asking them to avoid the Games lanes failing which they would be fined Rs.2,000.

Police have also asked motorists to make way for emergency vehicles like ambulances, police vans and fire brigades so these can reach venues in an emergency situation during the Commonwealth Games. If motorists fail to abide, they can be fined Rs.100.

The dedicated lanes will be used to ferry more than 15,000 people during the Games, besides thousands of OC staff and volunteers. The OC has divided these transport services into groups. The first group, T1, consists of a dedicated service of around 485 cars with drivers, which will transport delegates from their accommodation to venues and back.

T2 will be a motor pool of 1,000 cars available through a call car service while T3 will consist of 349 dedicated AC buses for the athletes. The shuttle service will be provided for individual sports as well as exclusive team buses for team sports.

Twenty-five routes have been identified for transporting the athletes. A separate bus service will be provided for the media and technical officials. The transport services will be available from Sep 23.

Monday's traffic lane trial cancelled due to rains

People in Delhi heaved a sigh of relief after the traffic police decided to cancel Monday's peak-hour trial runs on the dedicated Commonwealth Games lanes due to heavy rains.

"It has been cancelled due to heavy rains since morning. We did not want to add to the miseries of the commuters by going on with the trial. The trial for Tuesday still stands now," said Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Satyendra Garg.

However, the trials for Tuesday are still on, officials said.

A traffic police advisory on Sunday said the trials will be held between 4 pm and 6 pm on Monday and 8 am to 10 am on Tuesday.

The trials were to be conducted on Ring Road from Chandgi Ram Akhara to Mall Road, NH-24-Ring Road crossing to Gazipur crossing, Ma Anandmayee Marg in Kalkaji to Doctor Karni Singh Stadium at Surajkund Road via Mehrauli-Badarpur Road, and Panchsheel Marg-Sardar Patel Road intersection to Mother Teresa Crescent up to RML Hospital.

The trials were to be conducted during peak hours to gauge the impact. The exclusive road lanes for the vehicles of Games athletes and officials will become out of bounds for all other road users from September 20.

Those who stray onto these lanes will be penalised Rs.2,000 and their vehicles will be impounded. Initially, the restrictions on the Games lanes will be operational during night time only, as international flights carrying athletes are scheduled to reach the national Capital during these hours.

The public has been advised to avoid, as far as possible, the Games lanes in general.

They have been advised to avoid Safdurjung Road, Kamal Ataturk Marg, Panchsheel Marg, Sardar Patel Marg, Siri Fort Road, Harsukh Marg, Purana Qila Road and Mother Teresa Crescent Road in particular as these roads have only two lanes in one carriageway and one lane has already been reserved for Games-related traffic, the statement said.

2nd trial for CWG lanes conducted

Delhi Police conducted second round of trials on lanes reserved for Commonwealth Games on Sunday on two stretches. The rehearsals for lane reservations for the Games was conducted on NH-24 Nizamuddin Khatta T Point upto Noida More and from IP College traffic signal and taking Ring Road to Chhatra Marg.

Vehicular movement on the exclusive lane on these stretches were not allowed during the trial that started at 11 AM.

On Saturday, the city police had conducted trials on Dhaula Kuan-SP Marg-Pancheel Marg- upto Hotel Samrat and on Vinay Marg-Panchsheel Marg T-point to Africa Avenue Outer Ring Road Under Flyover.

Saturday's trial had created traffic snarls.

However, the situation was not that bad on Sunday as it was a Sunday and vehicular traffic was not that heavy.

Deliberate straying into lanes exclusively marked for Commonwealth Games vehicles on capital's roads will attract a fine of Rs 2,000.

A notification to invoke the fine or impound vehicles of those entering the Games lane will be issued in a day or two by the Lt Governor's office and is likely to come into effect on September 20.

Those found "deliberately violating" the rule will be penalised. However, if someone accidentally strays into the lane, he may be spared.

Litmus test for Delhi traffic management

Starting this month-end or early next, Delhi Traffic Police will begin blocking one lane of several carriageways across the city to test a traffic plan that will be in force during the Commonwealth Games in October. The restrictions will be in place for all 24 hours of the day.

(Read: Delhi Police launch SMS traffic alert service)

Almost all of the roads along the 170-km stretch, beginning from East Delhi and leading up to the airport, will have one lane reserved for Commonwealth Games competitors and authorities. The test will run in phases across the city. The roads located in South, Central and East Delhi, will connect to all competing and training venues.

(Read: Delhi Traffic updates on Social networking sites)

Traffic police expect jams on these following roads, among others: Parade Road, National Highway-8, Safdarjang Road, Kemal Ataturk Marg, Aurobindo Marg, Lodhi Road, Ring Road, National Highway-24, DND flyover, Captain Gaur Marg and stretches of Outer Ring Road. "We are only waiting for the lane markings in green to be done, and we will start the trials soon after," a police official said.

The pilot project will most likely begin at the end of this month at Vinay Marg near Ashoka Hotel at Chanakyapuri.

As part of the dry run, traffic police will start blocking one lane on these roads in phases.

Ajay Chadha, special police commissioner, said the lanes will be out of bounds for commuters throughout the day, and that traffic police personnel will be deployed to ensure commuters don't enter these lanes, which will be painted green.

He admitted people will face problems. "We know managing traffic will be a challenge," he said, "but we'll do our best to educate commuters so that traffic moves smoothly." Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit said traffic authorities will try their best to ensure traffic is not disrupted but added that trial runs were unavoidable as a lane had to be reserved for athletes during the Games.

"There is no doubt that Delhi's roads have huge traffic.

But if traffic restrictions are managed well they'll help in improving vehicular movement," she said. " It's all about enforcing the rules. Trial runs will be carried out till authorities achieve some degree of confidence in the traffic plan." But Dr P. K. Sarkar, professor of transport planning at the School of Planning and Architecture, is certain that city traffic will turn chaotic as a result of these trials.

"There is bound to be chaos," he said. "What else would you expect if a lane lies unused on a major road?" He warned that if Delhi Traffic Police does not plan the closures well, it could create a ripple effect on other roads.

"People will try to avoid blocked roads and take other routes. As a result there will be traffic jams on several roads." Traffic officials have decided to put up bollards on several roads where it is not possible to post traffic constables.

"This will physically keep commuters away," an officer said. He said there is no formal timeframe for the trial run.

"It could continue right up to and certainly during the Commonwealth Games." Rohit Baluja, president, Institute of Road Traffic Education (IRTE), said: "Such traffic schemes have to be planned much in advance so that agencies have time to implement it.

There would be signage all over the city to ensure commuters find their way easily. We will also use the media effectively to educate commuters about the diversions." Sources said the traffic plans were prepared in consultation with the Delhi Police, the Commonwealth Games Organising Committee, and the MCD, PWD and the NDMC. The decision to reserve a lane was taken at a high- level meeting convened by Lieutenant Governor Tejendra Khanna.

Delhi traffic updates on social networking sites

Delhi Police has launched a new service to issue advisories and traffic updates relating to Delhi will be available on renowned social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook.

(Read: Delhi Police launch SMS traffic alert service)

Delhi police will update the status of traffic across the city. Citizens can also post the updates from wherever they are. While the aim seems to have been to set up a strong two-way communication channel with citizens, image building for the Commonwealth Games, which the city will host in October, is clearly an objective too.

“Management of traffic in Delhi, during Commonwealth Games, will be a big challenge as well as a great opportunity,” the police say on the page. “Delhi Traffic Police cannot possibly succeed without the active participation and co-operation of all road users in Delhi.”

This page allows Delhi road users to request police presence in certain areas, make complaints, and ask questions, for example about the fines for different traffic offenses. A few have also expressed their appreciation for the work of the traffic police.

“We have launched this page to know the views of the public and establish a flow of communication with the residents of Delhi,” says Mr. Rajan Bhagat, spokesperson for the Delhi Police.

“We need suggestions to improve. Every comment cannot be an appreciation, thus we are looking into the problems faced by the residents of Delhi and this is a new channel,” added Mr. Bhagat.

The page also acts as a traffic monitoring service of sorts, with Delhi traffic information posted on an hourly basis by both the police and Facebook users, with messages like, “Traffic obstruction at GT Karnal road as one HTV broke down” or “Vehicle has been removed and traffic normalized.”

Mr. Lalit Kumar Sharma, the administrator of the page was very upbeat as he said, “We can change, together, step by step.”

Delhi Police rapped for under-utilization of funds

Delhi Police has been rapped by a Parliamentary panel for under-utilisation of funds allotted for modernising its traffic and communication network, noting that there was "serious lacunae" in the implementation of the project ahead of the Commonwealth Games.

The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Home Affairs headed by M Venkaiah Naidu expressed "great concern" that the project was not initially timed to be completed before the sporting event in October.

The panel also said the Home Ministry has told them that the Delhi government was of the view that the provision of Rs 50 crore made in the budget was not sufficient for completion of Commonwealth Games related projects and needed to be enhanced to Rs 1,000 crore.

Task force to find solution to Delhi's traffic

A special task force constituted to examine all aspects of city's traffic situation today brainstormed on how to improve vehicular movement in the national capital ahead of the Commonwealth Games.

The task force was formed by the city government as per direction of the High Court to explore the ways of reducing traffic congestion in the city.

The task force, comprising transport experts and officials of MCD, DDA, Delhi Police, at a meeting with Chief Secretary Rakesh Mehta, deliberated on various options to improve traffic flow in the city.

Various agencies related to transport sector like Delhi Integrated Multi-Modal Transmit System Ltd and RITES gave presentation in the meeting on ways to improve the traffic in the city.

The High Court in its order on February 10 had said the Task force will review all aspects pertaining to traffic flow and review all existing policies and regulatory measures.

CWG preparations: Gurgaon traffic cops hit the gym

The Gurgaon Police has sent several of its senior traffic officers to the training barracks to shape up before the Commonwealth Games.

The Games and the wide exposure it will bring for the National Capital Region are reasons enough to lose the belly, the top brass has warned juniors. It has decided to pull out several “potbellied” traffic officers and replace them with those who are more energetic and fighting fit.

The police top brass has noticed for long that the more portly officers tend to throw their weight around rather than do their job.

A recent medical check-up of all Gurgaon police officers, including that of the senior rung in the commissionerate, has shown that many are unhealthy; some are even ailing. Most cops blamed the tough work schedules for their condition.

They pointed out the unruly traffic in the Millennium City was a mean snarl, not easy to tame. Seniors, many said, lacked the required degree of fitness.

At present, nearly 267 policemen direct traffic in the city. Almost an equal number need to be recruited in the traffic department before the Games, sources said. The force also has over three dozen women traffic constables.

The traffic police are also expected to be on top behaviour with violators. Gurgaon’s Police Commissioner S S Deswal said: “It is important for traffic officers to maintain decorum on duty. They should be polite to commuters, specially to women. We also expect women constables to behave properly with traffic violators.”

Grewal added the traffic officer’s work is the toughest. They have difficult work conditions, and are always caught in the thick of pollution, he said. And to add to it all are the rowdy drivers.

Grewal said senior traffic officers have already been sent to police lines for a rigorous programme that will include several hours in the gym.

Other senior officers, including the assistant commissioner of the traffic department, are keeping a hawk’s eye on how traffic policemen on the road are going about their job.

Commonwealth Games delegates inspect preparations

With less than a year to go before the Commonwealth Games 2010 begin in New Delhi, hectic parlays are on to ensure that the event is carried out without any flaws in infrastructure requirements.

The head of the Commonwealth Games Federation Mike Fennell is in the national capital now and started his round of meetings on Wednesday.

Fennell met the sports minister to discuss the progress of work. He met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for related discussions too.

Fennell had earlier raised concerns about the pace of work for the 2010 Games that are only a few months away. He, reportedly, does not sound satisfied with the pace of work.

Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dixit's government faces the ultimate test on Thursday as delegates from about 71 countries, along with Mike Fennell are in Delhi to inspect the 2010 Games venues. The delegates will be given free passage across the capital to review all the areas.

The daily commuters in the national capital need to brace themselves for heavy jams as the delegation will start its review on Thursday morning. The tour is scheduled to begin at 0830 hrs and end by 1900 hrs. The Traffic department of Delhi Police has advised commuters to avoid key arterial roads like Kamal Ataturk Marg, Safdarjung Road, Lodhi Road, Mathura Road, National Highway-24, Talkatora Road, Raisina Road, Janpath, Prithviraj Road and Aurobindo Marg. While roads will not be closed, congestion is expected on the assigned routes.

Commonwealth Games General Assembly meet: Delhi unhappy

Residents in New Delhi expressed their unhappiness on Wednesday after authorities announced many major roads would be closed to give inspecting Commonwealth Games officials a smooth ride through the city.

Delegates from the 71 teams have arrived for the general assembly of the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) and will take an inspection tour of the city's preparations on Thursday.

One year ahead of the opening ceremony, Delhi is struggling to convince event organisers that it will be able to host a successful Games in a city notorious for traffic congestion, pollution and infrastructure chaos.

Delhi Traffic Police has put up notice that residents must not use most key city centre routes throughout the day, and maps published in newspapers highlighted which roads would be cleared for Games delegates between 8:00 am and 7:00 pm.

A recent study by the state-run Central Road Research Institute (CRRI) said six million vehicles travelled New Delhi's roads, with 900 added every day.

The move has not gone down well with Delhi drivers who already face congested roads and long traffic jams made worse by the hectic construction activity ahead of the Games.

Delhiites were unanimous in highlighting that it would have been good to give the delegates a taste of traffic management. This would have resulted in Delhi government taking steps faster to improve the situation.

Delhi needs civic lessons

Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram on Tuesday called for a behavioural change among the Capital’s citizens ahead of the upcoming Commonwealth Games to be hosted by the city next year.

Mr. Chidambaram said that in the past many years and again as the Union Home Minister now he had not noticed any change in the behaviour of Delhiites.

“You cannot expect mega-city policing unless people also change their behaviour,” he said at a function organised in Sunlight Colony here to mark the opening of 22 newly-created police stations across the Capital.

It is not uncommon to see vehicles jumping red lights, having registration plates flouting norms. Also you can easily find people crossing roads where they should not, people not using overhead walk-paths or underground walk-paths.

Emphasising that the behaviour of the Capital’s citizens must change for the better as in barely twelve months from now the city would be hosting the Commonwealth Games, the Home Minister said Germany went through a process of behavioural change for over two years before the country was prepared for World Cup football. Similarly China launched a massive educational programme to bring about behavioural change among the people before the Beijing Olympics.

Mr. Chidambaram said those coming to Delhi from other places in the country must accept the discipline of living in a big city that was also the Capital. “We are not living in a countryside; we are not living in a pastoral area. We are living in a city. Therefore, we must behave as the citizens of a big city,” he asserted.

Earlier, Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit said her government was taking initiatives to change the way people behaved.