Road Transport in Delhi
Transport, especially road transport in Delhi has undergone a sea change over the years. Road usage is one of the highest in the city. Road Transport is the key contributor towards income received by the Transport Department of the country. Delhi Development Authority (DDA), Public Works Department (PWD), Delhi Cantonment Board (DCB), Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) and New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) are the key organisations that control the road transport in Delhi. There is a 1749km stretch of road for every 100sq.km of land. As per 2001, it was observed that the primary roads of Ring Road and Outer Ring Road saw a whopping 110,000 vehicles on one single day. There are around 388 National Highways that are included in the 28500 odd km of road network of Delhi. Buses, auto-rickshaws, taxis, cycle rickshaws are the modes of transport from Delhi Transport Corporation.
Buses
The Bus Transport System in Delhi is one of the biggest in the country and it has the country’s largest number of buses that run on CNG. All buses in Delhi are operated by the Delhi Transport Corporation. It is only the second city after Pune to operate a BRT system (Bus Rapid Transit). Apart from the DTC, some buses are also owned by the private operators, Blueline and other chartered operators. Buses belonging to only those organisations that have a valid permit issued by the Transport Authority of the State are allowed to ply in Delhi. The routes in which the buses operate are planned in such a way that all the major cities are covered. Apart from the regular routes, the DTC also operates Metro feeder and Railway routes. Some of the main roads like Inner Ring and Outer Ring are serviced by the Mudrika (ring) and Bahri Mudrika (outer ring) routes. These routes on the famous roads are one of the longest in the entire world.
Auto Rickshaws
These are one of the most widely used modes of transport, because they are affordable and are cost lesser than the cabs and taxis. It is quite difficult to convince the auto driver in Delhi to use the metre, therefore, the best way is to bargain and settle for a suitable rate before actually taking an auto rickshaw.
Taxis
Taxis are predominantly owned by the private operators and travel agents. The Government owned Delhi Public Transport, has authorised these private players with a valid permit and hence these taxis are available in plenty in Delhi. Radio taxis are quite common and of late, the on-call radio taxis that are slightly priced on the higher side are also available on roads.
Cycle Rickshaws
These are the cheapest modes of transport available in the city of Delhi. They use the pedalling technique; therefore do not endanger the environment in anyway. They are apt for short distance travels. Earlier, they were an integral part of transport for taking a stroll through the famous Chandni Chowk market; however, they are now being removed gradually, as their slow movement queues up traffic for a long distance. However they still remain the main mode of transport for the poor.
Highways
Delhi has five major national highways that connects it to the important cities in the country; NHs 1, 2, 10, 12 and 24. Roads are being used most in Delhi when compared to all other cities of India. All highways are going through phased renovations processes and getting many modern features for the benefit of passengers.
Bus Services
There are various bus terminals in Delhi that connect the city within the state, neighbouring states and the northern states of the country. These bus services are provided by Government owned Delhi Transport Corporation and many private tour operators. The terminals that provide bus services in the inter-state route are:
- Northern Delhi – Kashmiri Gate inter-state bus terminal
- Trans Yamuna area – Anand Vihar inter-state bus terminal
- South Delhi – Sarai Kale Khan inter-state bus terminal
Ring Roads
Inner Ring Road
This stretches to over 51km and it is a circular road that is being considered as one of the most critical state highways of Delhi. There is absolutely no traffic congestion here because this road boasts about 24 flyovers. There are 8 lanes on this impressive road. Hurdles in the form of bottlenecks at certain areas are being removed gradually. This was one of the first roads to see a staggering number of 110000 vehicles on a single day and it is getting developed to accommodate more and more numbers over the years.
Outer Ring Road
What was almost non-existent till the early 2000s has now become one of the main road networks of Delhi. There are around 6 to 8 lanes on this road and various construction projects are going on here to make the road absolutely free of signals. All National Highways get intersected at this road.
Do you think Delhi is the most developing Capital in the world?