NEW DELHI: A day after the new Rao Tula Ram (RTR) flyover opened, traffic movement on the route was smoother, but still there were traffic jams during the peak hours where the flyover ends near the Army Research and Referral Hospital, causing raised eyebrows among commuters and local residents.
Sohan Singh, a pani puri vendor who sits near where the flyover ends, said the traffic jams occurred usually between 9 am and 11 am and from 5 pm to 8.30 pm. “Since the flyover opened, traffic jams have mostly happened at the endpoint. It is because all the vehicles coming from the flyover and those underneath it meet at this point. Traffic movement is easy only on the flyover stretch,” Singh said.
However, the movement of traffic had eased on the way from south Delhi to the airport and on the road below the flyover. The flyover was inaugurated on Tuesday by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. Rajinder, a banker who takes the route during the peak hours every day, said, “I feel the morning and evening rush has not been fully controlled by the flyover. On the way from the airport, that stretch remains the same and traffic remains clogged during the peak hours.”
This, however, was not the view of everyone. Surinder, a fruit seller who sits below the flyover, said that vehicular congestion had eased since the flyover opened. “This entire stretch used to be full of vehicles. Since yesterday we can see a change in the movement of traffic. There was slow movement in the beginning due to the rain, but the new flyover has definitely made it easy for traffic,” he said.
Ashok Binani, an Uber driver, said that the flyover had made commuting easy for those going from south Delhi to the airport or Gurugram, while those going to places like Vasant Kunj and Munirka would still face congestion under the flyover.
The new flyover also left some commuters confused. Mukesh Kohli from Dwarka, who supplies pet food in south Delhi, said, “We were confused as to where this new flyover goes. Does it go towards Dwarka was my question, so I stayed at the mid-point to ask someone.”
Easier drive for some
An Uber driver said that the flyover had made commuting easy for those going from south Delhi to the airport or Gurugram, while those going to places like Vasant Kunj and Munirka would still face congestion under the flyover.