Crossing the roads is a challenge, people demand foot over bridges or subways

Crossing the roads In one of the most planned sub cities of DDA, Dwarka, it has become a tough and risky task for the pedestrians. With the time with increasing vehicles and populations, then problem has become bigger and visible on ground. People can be seen crossing the roads from one market to another taking risk. There is no infrastructure for them which could provide a smooth and safe access from one place to other without crossing the road. Residents of the area are saying that the sub city should have been given underground sub ways or foot over bridges at least at those places which are very busy and people cross the road to access those places. One such place is Sector 6 and 10 market area. RK Singh a resident of Sector 6 says, “If one wants to go from Sector 6 market to Sector 10 market he/she has to cross the road from the middle or take a turn of almost a kilometre to access. So this is absolutely a failure of planning where in such a planned area there is no facility for pedestrians to cross the road.”

Mostly at those places which are on Master Plan roads and also near to popular markets or busy chowks  people have been facing problems to cross the road. At many places to avoid a long turn from the signals, gaps have been made in the grills on the dividers. People say that this is not logical to cross the road by taking half a kilometre or a kilometre turn from either side.  President of Dwarkadheesh Apartments Sector 12 RWA, Anjana Sinha says, “ At Ashirvad Chowk area there are four markets and accessing one another is really difficult for a pedestrian because there are vehicles on the roads and the signals are far from the entrance of the markets. If I have to go from Sector 12 to Sector 4 market I must have to cover at least 300 metre which is not practical. There is a gap in the grill made by the people and often we take middle of the road to cross and approach that gap to go the other market. Here authorities should make a sub way for the pedestrians.”

Near Sector 6/10 market, around Ashirvad Chowk area having markets of Sector 4,5,11 and 12, at the signal of Sector 1, at Madhu Vihar etc problems of pedestrians can be seen. The situation is even worse for those people who want to cross the road which is going from Sector 3 towards Dwarka Mor. At this stretch of about more than a kilometre there is no place to cross it. People take risk and jump the divider’s grill too. Also at the major points which are used to cross the roads pedestrian rights are often violated by the vehicles by encroaching Zebra Crossing and flouting the pedestrian’s lights. In that condition crossing the roads has become a difficult task for them.
 The projet-
A press release of DDA says that 4 Foot over Bridges  with the total cost of Rs 12 crore,  was scheduled to be completed in August 2020. It was announced by the urban minister Hardeep Singh Puri in 2019. But till now no such foot over bridge has been completed yet some construction work is going on at Road Number 201 near Madhu Vihar and near NSUT. 
 Those Foot Over Bridges will provide safe crossing facility to more than 16200 pedestrians per day. It will reduce traffic congestion and improve traffic speed. It will provide pedestrian connectivity between neighborhood areas in Sector 1 with sector 7, Madhu Vihar with Sector 4 &5 NSUT with Sulahkul Mandir and District Court with General Hospital.
On these planned foot over bridges people say that on Road Number 202 near Sector 6/10 market and around Ashirvad Chowk some pedestrian facilities must be given by the authority as these markets are busiest in Dwarka. “It’s ok that some foot over bridges are in plan but they must consider the busiest markets along master plan roads,” adds Anjana.