Responding to huge public demand, the City Traffic Police announced the enforcement of a new traffic arrangement on Wardha Road to alleviate traffic jams. Starting Monday, from 6.30 pm to 8.30 pm (Monday to Saturday), vehicles on Morris College T-point to Ajni Square road stretch will not be allowed to make right turns, while left turns will be permitted at both Rahate Colony T-point and Kriplani Square, and U-turn will be available near Central Jail gate. A notification issued by the Traffic Police stated that an experiment conducted from September 23 to 28 yielded positive results and many citizens approached the police to request the continuation of the arrangement for relief from traffic congestion. According to the notification, vehicles coming from Ajni Square and Morris College T-point will only be allowed to make left turns at Rahate Square and Kriplani Square.

 

Traffic movement from Deekshabhoomi Square to Kriplani Square will be restricted. However, residents living near Deekshabhoomi-Kriplani Square will be allowed to make a left turn when coming from Ajni Square to Kriplani Square. After entering Deekshabhoomi Road, vehicles can make a U-turn and proceed to their homes. Only left turns will be permitted at Congress Nagar Square, while right turns will be prohibited. Vehicles can proceed up to Central Jail and take a U-turn to proceed to Morris College T-point. During the implementation of the new system, a large number of traffic police personnel will be deployed to manage the situation at fixed points. Strict instructions have been issued to traffic staff to maintain their positions during critical hours of operation. It may be mentioned here that under the previous system, motorists crawled from Rahate T-point to Ajni Square, especially during evening rush hours when two traffic signals—at Rahate Colony Square and Kriplani Square—created bottlenecks. Commuters often found themselves waiting for two green lights just to move a short distance.

 

To tackle this issue, the police had temporarily prohibited right turns at key intersections from Rahate Colony Square and Kriplani Square and vice-versa in the evening hours. About 80 per cent of the traffic along this route travels straight, with only 20 per cent making right turns or U-turns. As vehicles now reach Morris College T-point and Ajni Square faster, the police have extended the signal timing by 10 seconds to facilitate quicker passage during the peak hours. While the new system has improved overall traffic conditions, some drivers have faced challenges due to the prohibition on right turns. However, the number of affected drivers is minimal compared to those benefiting from the system. For those travelling toward Deekshabhoomi from Kriplani Square, U-turns can now be made just 200 meters ahead, in front of the Central Jail, said a police officer.