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Hindustan Times
4 days ago
- Business
- Hindustan Times
Blue signs given the green signal in Lutyens' Delhi
Lutyens' Delhi is set to change colour ; all road signs in the 42.7 sq km part of the Capital that houses offices and residences of top functionaries and officials of the executive, legislature and judiciary are to now have a blue background, with white lettering, in keeping with norms laid down by the Indian Roads Congress, according to people familiar with the matter. According to the guidelines issued by the national body which prescribes design standards for roads, green signboards of the sort currently found in the area, which is under the New Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC), are to be used only on state and national highways. The signboards in the NDMC area are green, with names written in white in English, Hindi, Urdu and Gurmukhi. The council will also rectify any mistakes and add around 100 new signs to indicate schools, hospitals and community spaces. Other parts of Delhi, where roads come under the Municipal Corporation of Delhi and state Public Works Department (PWD), already have blue signboards. The project to install around 6,500 blue signboards is likely to cost around ₹18 crore and will begin in October. A senior NDMC official said preparatory work for the project was recently completed after approvals were secured from the council members of the civic body. 'We will begin this project after the monsoon is over, around October, and the deadline of March 2026 has been fixed for its completion. We normally start the road repair works after the monsoon rains and this project is likely to be run in parallel with road re-carpeting and repair work,' the official added, asking not to be named. NDMC manages 1,298km of roads in Central Delhi, along with 52 roundabouts where 6,439 road signs are currently in place. Apart from colour, some of these signboards also differ from those in the rest of the city in terms of shape; NDMC signboards are both circular and rectangular; in the rest of the city, the boards are rectangular. CHECK The last major street sign replacement program was executed by the civic body in 2009-10 in the run up to the 2010 Commonwealth Games. Since then, many of the boards have faded. NDMC vice chairman Kuljeet Chahal said that a series of initiatives are being taken by the council to improve the road infrastructure as well as street furniture in the New Delhi area under which signage will also be soon upgraded. S Velmurugan, chief scientist and head of traffic engineering and safety division of Central Road Research Institute (CRRI), said that road signs, their colour and shapes play an important role in road safety and such glaring deviation should not have been allowed. 'According to the Indian Road Congress (IRC) guidelines,signboards with blue background are meant for urban roads and green boards are used for state and national highways. There are no highways in the Lutyens' Delhi area. The informatory signs are for making commuters aware that they are on a highway or in an urban environment.' He added that rectangular signs are informative in nature and provide details like road names. The triangular signs are cautionary in nature and indicate upcoming curves or signals, and the circular signs are regulatory in nature. Besides colour, the replacement should also weed out other flaws.' Velumurgan said that normally the triangular and circular boards should have no coloured background as per IRC guidelines except in certain circumstances like construction zones and blue background in case of no parking zones. A second NDMC official, aware of the matter, said that the survey of all signs in New Delhi was completed by the executive engineers of the road division in 2024 and an approval from the council was secured last year. 'All signage in the NDMC area will be designed through a software for uniformity and consistency as per IRC guidelines.' He added that the corporation will reuse the frames of signs that are in good shape. According to civic officials, the change was supposed to take place ahead of the G20 summit in 2023 but the project was delayed. In the annual budget for 2024-25, presented in December last year, the NDMC chairman stated that road signages were 'installed mainly in 2009-10 with reflective sheets and have outlived their life.' He added: 'Indian Roads Congress has revised the specifications with reflective sheets. To achieve proper safety, it is proposed to replace road signages in the NDMC area in next 2024-25.' The project has finally secured the green signal now.
Time of India
12-06-2025
- General
- Time of India
Why Pedestrians Can't Just Be An Afterthought
New Delhi: As India debates how to make its roads safer, experts at the National Road Safety Summit turned the spotlight on something often overlooked in city planning — people on foot. Pedestrian-centric road infrastructure and adherence to Indian Roads Congress (IRC) guidelines, along with the critical role of road engineering, took the centre stage. A slide in the background set the tone for the discussion — it showed what an ideal road should look like: 360-degree visibility, clear lane markings, walkable footpaths, well-maintained vegetation, and smooth merging lanes. Speakers highlighted challenges such as inadequate signage, overgrown vegetation affecting visibility near crossings, and the dominance of vehicle-centric planning. "Engineering plays a crucial role in reducing fatalities, but it can only contribute up to 20% in crash prevention," said Dr S Velmurugan, chief scientist at CSIR-CRRI. "But engineering alone isn't enough. Crashes occur not only due to poor engineering but also due to a multitude of factors encompassing the other 4 Es. These include enforcement issues, lack of road user education, emergency care not available within the golden hour of the crash and poor environment. " He pointed out that India's national highways have nearly doubled, from 70,000 km to 1.44 lakh km in the last 12 years. Yet in cities like Delhi, pedestrians, cyclists, e-rickshaw and two-wheelers account for 75-80% of fatalities. "We need realistic targets and a systemic shift," he said One major concern got repeated mention — non-adherence to not having plantation for at least 120 metres at the median openings as well as at the intersections of the divided carriageways. Discussions also covered blocked or minimised zebra crossings, worn-out markings, and footpaths that are either missing or encroached upon. "Pedestrian infrastructure is routinely compromised," Velmurugan said. "We need an inclusive approach that respects every user's right to safe passage." A question brought attention to jaywalking on the Delhi-Meerut expressway, despite iron grills, questioning people's mindset and justifying the vegetation and iron grills. Dr Mukti Advani, senior principal scientist at CSIR-CRRI, said: "At many such locations, there is no pedestrian infrastructure. You can't blame behaviour when design fails." Children were flagged as especially at risk. "Over 50% of child traffic deaths happen on highways, and 36% in cities, often near intersections," said Syed Hubbe Ali, a health specialist at UNICEF India. Swantantra Kumar of 3M India added: "Safe school zones must anticipate child movement, with speed limits and signs marking entry and exit points." Follow more information on Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad here . Get real-time live updates on rescue operations and check full list of passengers onboard AI 171 .
Time of India
10-06-2025
- Time of India
Ashram to Badarpur: Why this 8 km Delhi stretch takes 45 mins instead of 15; Key reasons behind Mathura Road chaos
Travelling between Ashram and Badarpur on Delhi's Mathura Road has become a daily nightmare for thousands of motorists. According to a TOI report, what should ideally be an 8-km, 15-minute drive now takes up to 45 minutes during peak hours. What's causing the chaos? This stretch, part of National Highway 2 (NH2), carries over four lakh vehicles daily, rising to five lakh on Mondays and Fridays. After 9 pm, it's opened to heavy trucks entering or leaving Delhi, making things worse. The major reason behind the jams? Poor road design, with multiple cuts between the two carriageways causing heavy blockages. Key trouble spots Even before you leave Ashram, traffic starts to pile up. The underpass meant to ease flow is often blocked due to vehicles turning towards Lajpat Nagar and Sarai Kale Khan. Further down, junctions at Okhla, Mata Mandir Marg, CRRI, and Apollo Hospital remain choked, especially the one near the hospital, with traffic coming from all sides. Failed fixes and long waits Delhi Traffic Police tried easing the mess by closing cuts like the one at Madanpur Khadar. But cars are now forced to take long U-turns at flyovers, offering only minor relief. At the Okhla-New Friends Colony crossing, vehicles from the Modi Mill side and Jullena end up criss-crossing, leading to long queues even during green signals. A TOI reporter noted that handcarts, wrongly parked vehicles, and fuel queues also eat up road space. CRRI expert S Velmurugan pointed out that the road lacks proper merging lanes and width consistency, making matters worse. Live Events A glimmer of hope? The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) may soon take over the road and turn it into a signal-free corridor, as per TOI. While Public Works Department (PWD) had proposed flyovers and underpasses back in 2017, the plan never materialised. Experts suggest that just removing traffic lights won't help. A well-planned elevated road, with proper entry and exit points, may finally bring relief. CRRI scientist Nasim Akhtar added that flyovers at Okhla Mor and synchronised traffic signals are urgently needed. Until a long-term fix arrives, however, Delhiites will continue to face this exhausting drive daily. Inputs from TOI
