New Metro stations to have designated vehicle zones

May 21, 2013

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Subhendu Ray, Hindustan Times New Delhi,

In a bid to reduce vehicular chaos, all new Metro stations coming up under phase III will have separate slots for four wheelers, autos and buses in their premises.

While some existing stations are currently on roads or just beside roads such as Laxmi Nagar, Preet Vihar and Nirman Vihar among others, a major number of those in Phase III will come up on the city’s busy Ring Road and Outer Ring Road.

“We have plans to create drop-off pnsoints at all 91 metro stations to be built in phase III. The provision for drop-off points will depend on the availability of land,” said a Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) spokesperson.

According to officials, while in the first two phases Delhi Metro focused on better connectivity between private transport and metro, in the new phase, the prime focus would be to encourage use of several modes of public transport.

The Delhi traffic police had in February approached DMRC to ensure halt-and-go facilities for auto-rickshaws on the station premises so that commuters, especially women, do not have to come out to board vehicles.

“This arrangement will make sure roads along metro stations are not decongested by rickshaws, autos and buses that pick and drop passengers. Besides, this will ensure smooth and safe shift of commuters from one mode of transport to another,” said Ashok Bhattacharya, director, UTTIPEC, which has proposed a multimodal integration at 68 metro stations in phase 3.

Additional commissioner of police (traffic), Anil Shukla said dedicated drop-off points for auto-rickshaws and other transport vehicles inside the station premises will provide better and safer last-mile connectivity to women commuters.

The traffic police had asked DMRC to explore possibilities for similar arrangements at all existing busy metro stations, wherever possible, to ease traffic woes for commuters.

Source_http://www.hindustantimes.com