NEW DELHI:
Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Marg
in
central Delhi
will now be
converted
into a
heritage corridor
.
The
Public Works Department
’s redesign provides for continuous movement of pedestrians and non-motorised vehicles, reduced traffic speed, better footpaths and proper signals and bollards.
A PWD official said that the proposed plan encouraged mobility and aimed at easing traffic congestion on the stretch.
It will also improve accessibility and interchangeability from and to public transport while discouraging loading and unloading activities during prohibited hours.
The design provides continuous movement for pedestrians and NMVs. Besides better footways (paving, landscaping, lighting and street furniture) to encourage use of dedicated pedestrian paths, a fully segregated non-motor path will also be created along the main road.
Key structures like Red Fort, Old Delhi Railway Station, Church Mission and Delhi District Library are included in the redesign.
According to officials, the new plan, when implemented, will provide parking facilities and pick and drop points in the area.
The stretch will also be made free of encroachments. These changes are likely to have an environmental impact due to reduced air and noise pollution.
The carriageway width transitions from six lanes between Hanuman Mandir and Church Mission Road to four lanes towards the west of the Church Mission Road-SP Mukherjee Marg intersection.
Up to this intersection, the traffic is predominantly transit-oriented and destined for Old Delhi Railway Station. After this point, the traffic becomes trade-oriented.
The difference in capacity of SP Mukherjee Marg on either side of Church Mission Road are primarily due to land use, vehicle mix and traffic requirements.
If the width of the motorised carriageway is kept uniform at four lanes in each section, irrespective of traffic levels, the road congestion, especially at peak hours, will be high in a few critical sections and the benefits from the redesign will be nullified.
Substantial traffic volumes are observed on SP Mukherjee Marg throughout the day.
The peak hour vehicular traffic along different sections varies from 1,414 passenger car units to 2,602 PCUs in the morning and between 1,463 PCUs and 4,053 PCUs in the evening.
The share of non-motorised cycles, cycle rickshaws and hand and animal-drawn vehicles is significant throughout the corridor.
The planners observed that by segregating the pedestrians, non-motorised vehicles and vehicular traffic, the capacity of either carriageway increases and the level of service of the vehicular traffic improves considerably.
An official said that the capacity of the pedestrian paths can be enhanced by maintaining a good quality surface, strictly controlling the encroachments and obstacles created by service points and maintaining a smooth flow of traffic.
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