Traffic jam: Who is to be blamed?
Last evening Atif, a software engineer, got stuck in a traffic jam at the Okhla Head. He was on his way back to his house from Saket which is just ten kilometers from here.
The traffic snarl was such that it took 45 minutes to clear the jam. “When I saw many cars stranded in the jam I realised it was another bad day for me. I left office early to reach home but it took me 45 minutes to cover 15 minutes of journey. At times I think of giving up driving in this locality,” he said.
He is not the only resident who faces such a problem.
Of late traffic snarl has become common in the area as more and more people have started depending on cars and two wheelers for commuting despite metros functional.
With no traffic signals things have gone from bad to worst. Residents are familiar with the daily dose of traffic jam particularly at Okhla Head that serves as a major intersection. This is the main road that also connects Delhi to Noida. The route from Tikona Park up to Okhla Head, Batla House and others are the most overcrowded area.
At rush hours there is heavy inflow of traffic that leads to congestion. At times the situation is so bad that even pedestrians have difficulties walking on the road.
Some hold errant drivers, bike and car drivers responsible for the mess. Many strongly feel that with commuters in a rush to reach home early they take short cut and drive wrong side thus further choking the area.
Many locals blame car drivers and bikes for the traffic chaos.
Pola Amin, who has seen the area grow, said residents don’t have civic sense. “If you visit Zakir Nagar, Batla House and other areas you can find people parking their bikes and cars on the road. They don’t care about others. They are to be blamed for the chaos.”
It is common to find car and two wheelers parked in these areas on the middle of the road. That is why many people avoid going to Batla House and Zakir Nagar after 6 pm. The situation is such that even pedestrians face difficulties in walking.
