As one approaches this flyover, eight lanes of traffic telescope into two. Worse, bus bays atop the flyover constrict the carriageways, as buses lumber in and out. The bus bays cave away from the main thoroughfare, but aren't long enough forcing buses to stick out as they enter.
Every day, during peak hours, around 35,000 to 40,000 vehicles fight for space on the flyover. In the morning, the flow is towards south Delhi and in the evening traffic streams into Dwarka and this is when the stretch is a nightmare. After zipping on the four-lane Gurgaon Road, the motorist wades into four lanes of traffic converging from the Airport Road and Station Road. Suddenly ahead of Dwarka, he gets stuck in a whirl of bumper-to- bumper traffic.
"The 2-km narrow flyover has bus bays on top which slow down things even more. With buses stopping and passengers getting on and off, things get difficult," says a senior traffic police officer. Sometimes, buses queue up as they wait to enter the already- packed bus bay. Vehicles behind them get stuck.
"In such stop-and-go traffic, engines tend to heat up and breakdowns are common. Removing stuck vehicles from the carriageways is a headache. Tow-away trucks barely squeeze through," the officer says. The flyover's serpentine alignment makes it dangerous to drive at more than 30 km per hour, he adds. Traffic jams last from 6pm to at least 9.30pm.
Way to go
Traffic experts say the flyover should have been wider — at least three lanes on either side. Now, there are only some traffic engineering solutions that can be adopted to ease the logjam.
"It would've been proper had longer bus bays been built. That would've ensured ideal tapering. Bus movement would hamper the traffic less. Ramp metering could be a way out. Using signals, the number of vehicles entering the freeway could be controlled. Rumble strips could be added to slow down traffic approaching Palam flyover so that entry of vehicles is staggered," professor P K Sarkar, transport planning expert from School of Planning and Architecture, said.
Traffic cops say they are exploring the possibility of widening the level crossing under the flyover. "The road is hardly used and, if concretised, a double carriageway road with two lanes on either side could be possible," said a senior traffic police officer.
Another solution could be to divert buses through the Old Palam Road. "The option of shifting the bus stops before or after the flyover could also be explored," Sarkar added.
Meanwhile, long-term solutions for this stretch are limited unless major road engineering changes take place, including alternative routes for vehicles entering Dwarka.
Next: Outer Ring Road, Rohini
The funnel effect Up to a point, water poured into a funnel, flows out smoothly But if too much water is poured into the funnel, its cone fills up
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