Delhi Government identifies reasons why roads were crowded during odd even days. (File Photo)
Traffic crawled in the national capital during odd-even 2.0 as lakhs of private as well as CNG vehicles that were not present during its first phase, plied on the city's roads as schools functioned and CNG cars increased, a Delhi government panel said in its report.
"There was an additional volume of 3,88,886 cars (including private cars, car pooling and around 30,000 additional CNG additional vehicles), 1,34,598 two wheelers and 8,000 buses, which was not there during the first phase," the report, which was submitted to Transport Minister Gopal Rai today, stated.
Observing that there was "more congestion", the six-member committee, headed by Special Commissioner Transport K K Dahiya, identified major construction activities, ongoing dismantling of the BRT corridor and negligible reduction of traffic entering from Noida and Gurgaon as key factors behind clogged roads between April 15-30.
Mr Rai had formed the panel on Apil 23 to study the impact of opening of schools and hot weather on the second phase of the scheme under which odd and even numbered cars ply on alternate days, following complaints of congestion on roads.
Stating that the scheme was "largely successful" since car owners voluntarily complied, the report pointed to nine additional factors which had their impact resulting in more congestion on roads.
A large volume of vehicles on roads in and around schools led to congestion in a radius extending up to five to six kms, the report said and concluded, based on a sample survey carried out in six schools, that a "very high percentage" of students used cars and other private vehicles to reach the institutes.
"Construction activity at Bhairon Marg, Rao Tula Ram Marg and dismantling of BRT corridor are found to be a major bottleneck which disrupted the traffic adversely and had a cascading effect in a radius of almost 8 to 10 kms," it said.
The panel members also obtained data from the authorities of DND and NH-8, that connect the national capital to Noida and Gurgaon respectively, and found that there was an average reduction of "only 12 per cent" of total vehicles coming from Noida while the average reduction on NH-8 was "not substantial".
"The data obtained from DND fly way indicated that 16,224 cars entered Delhi from Uttar Pradesh during two days of odd even between 8.30 am to 10.30 am whereas 18,071 cars entered during two days after odd-even at the same time.
"Similarly, on NH-8, 20,427 vehicles entered Delhi from Gurgaon between 8.30 am to 10.30 am on one day during Odd-Even period and 23,613 vehicles entered after the odd-even period during the same time," the panel said.