Who has the right: Easy turns or smooth traffic?

<div class="section1"><div class="Normal">new delhi: the capital is speed-struck. we want faster computers, faster communication, faster transport, smoother traffic. but few are willing to take the bitter pill for better traffic health. one such bone of contention is the closure of right turns on main arterial roads. this means uninterrupted flow on main roads but extra minutes for those turning right.a case in point is the right turn on lala lajpat rai marg into feroze gandhi marg, going to lajpat nagar central market. as joseph broz tito marg or lala lajpat rai marg (there is some confusion about what the road is called) is the main road running between the moolchand and defence colony flyovers, traffic managers believe it''s imperative to keep the route clear. but residents and shopowners, who see this as a convenient entry and exit point to lajpat nagar, are fighting the closure tooth and nail. they claim that the move is congesting the already crowded lajpat nagar area. a look at the face off. <span style="" font-weight:="" bold="">why they want it opened</span> according to residents and association members, closure of the right turn is a major "inconvenience". now motorised vehicles cannot enter lajpat nagar — using feroze gandhi marg — directly from lala lajpat rai marg, or exit that way. they now either have to take a u-turn from below the flyovers and use the left turns into lajpat nagar through the krishna nagar auto accessories market and the service road on one side, or use the five-odd entries from the ring road at the other end. this means that motorists coming from the moolchand side or those wanting to leave lajpat nagar will have to take a detour. this is unacceptable, residents claim. "we have been allowed entry through lanes which are always jammed," said sanjeev talwar, a resident of lajpat nagar-ii who runs a shop in central market. "since these areas are largely residential with four-storey houses, and each family owns at least two cars, several cars are already parked on the roads. this makes the lanes even narrower," he said. according to an executive member of the lajpat nagar traders association, the lanes are narrower than the main road — between 10 and 40 feet. "now that the traffic that was using feroze gandhi marg has to use the other lanes, the lanes inside lajpat nagar are choked," he said. understandably, shopowners are miffed that customers have to drive a bit more to get to them and have difficulty getting away. but even residents with little business interest, miss their little short-cut. says sujata chatterjee, a resident of lajpat nagar-iii and a play-school teacher: "the cut was very convenient for us. i would love to see it restored. but i wouldn''t say its closure is causing congestion in the area." "earlier, they used to shut the cut during peak hours. that was quite acceptable," she said. agreed amrita trehan, a resident of defence colony. "every time i needed to go the lajpat nagar, i could just cut across," she said. "but that''s not to say that i don''t like free-flowing traffic on flyover routes. i use flyovers wherever and whenever i can," she conceded. <span style="" font-weight:="" bold="">why they want it closed</span> it began with a public interest litigation filed by residents of mehrauli in south delhi last year, seeking restrictions on the movement of goods vehicles in the area. during the hearing, the court wanted to know what the traffic police was doing to eliminate right turns on ring road, outer ring road and other arterial roads to ensure free flow of traffic. "the court asked us to identify all gaps in the central verges that needed immediate closure," said joint commissioner of police, traffic, maxwell pereira. subsequently, the court ordered the civic agencies to close 150 gaps, a list which was extended to 232. a committee of advocates was set up as amicus curiae, including two members from the central pollution control board and two from the traffic police, to look into the issue. "the lajpat nagar drive is in pursuance of this pil," said pereira. "it has been our constant endeavour to close right turns which impair traffic movement. any right turn facility on main arterial routes is a point of conflict: it is prone to accidents and causes traffic pile-ups," he said. sanjay singh, dcp traffic, southern range, said: "for the past one year, the lajpat nagar cut has been closed to traffic during peak hours thrice a day. closing this cut makes the entire stretch from lodhi road to jb tito marg link road signal-free," he said. pereira argued that there was "proper, convenient and uninterrupted access" into lajpat nagar. "this is the third month of closure of the turn. it is curious that the agitation has taken a furious turn only now," he said. "they (protesting residents and shop-owners) may join in the pil as interveners if they want. but we will not open up the route just because of protests," he said. pereira agreed that the lajpat nagar area did have a congestion problem. "we have been trying to establish an orderly parking system in the area. individual problems can be addressed and solutions found," he said. also, a free u-turn is being constructed under the defence colony flyover. also in the offing is a fresh one-way circulation scheme for the entire area. "we are planning to demarcate parking lots, make veer savarkar marg and feroze gandhi marg one-ways and provide other one-ways on the crossroads," pereira said. said r k bajpayi, head, environment and road safety, central road research institute: "the move is in the interest of most and the safety of commuters. there should be the least possible number of right turns on main arterial roads. a strict parking arrangement within lajpat nagar will ease the congestion." </div> </div>