Commuters travelling from Noida and Ghaziabad towards Delhi faced heavy traffic congestion for the second straight day on Tuesday as the Delhi-Meerut Expressway (DME) and several parts of central and south Delhi were restricted for New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon's visit, reported TOI.
There was no prior traffic advisory on social media. Numerous people were stuck in traffic jams for a long time and were looking out for alternate routes. Many were forced to take detours, make U-turns or even park their vehicles and walk long distances. Many experienced delays of up to 40-45 minutes.
A few took to social media to vent their frustration. "Huge traffic jam on NH-3 from Ghaziabad to Delhi. It has become a regular affair now either in the morning or in the evening during peak hours, the road gets blocked and for a journey of 30 min, 2 hours get wasted," a commuter posted on X. Another wrote: "Massive traffic jam in Delhi Meerut Expressway apparently because of some VVIP movement."
Another user asked, "Traffic at Ring Road, Swarn Jayanti Park, opposite Sarai Kale Khan Railway Station has been blocked by Traffic Police for the last one hour without any advisory. Why? Creating inconvenience to commuters."
Stuck in jams, several distressed people came out of their cars, hoping the traffic would reduce.
"I was coming from Sector 62, took DME and saw traffic up to Outer Ring Road. I initially thought it was the usual peak hour congestion, which caused me a 40-minute delay. Later, I was disappointed to see the road blocked by a police car and rope, and people stuck owing to VIP movement," a commuter told TOI.
Other stretches, including stretches near Akshardham and IIT, faced similar situation as the New Zealand PM was scheduled to visit these locations. The barricading led to chaos as commuters were caught off guard.
A senior traffic official, speaking on the condition of anonymity told TOI that advisories cannot be issued due to safety and logistical reasons.
"Traffic police abide by the instructions they get, which is to cause minimum inconvenience to people and manage traffic flow. Any visit of a foreign delegate is also due to national interest, and hence, it must be respected. We follow the standard protocol, allowing light vehicles to pass until 10 minutes before the VIP movement and halting just for two-three minutes," he said.
This was the second such inconvenience for the public in three weeks. Earlier, European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen's visit to Rajghat had brought traffic to a halt in the area.
There was no prior traffic advisory on social media. Numerous people were stuck in traffic jams for a long time and were looking out for alternate routes. Many were forced to take detours, make U-turns or even park their vehicles and walk long distances. Many experienced delays of up to 40-45 minutes.
A few took to social media to vent their frustration. "Huge traffic jam on NH-3 from Ghaziabad to Delhi. It has become a regular affair now either in the morning or in the evening during peak hours, the road gets blocked and for a journey of 30 min, 2 hours get wasted," a commuter posted on X. Another wrote: "Massive traffic jam in Delhi Meerut Expressway apparently because of some VVIP movement."
Another user asked, "Traffic at Ring Road, Swarn Jayanti Park, opposite Sarai Kale Khan Railway Station has been blocked by Traffic Police for the last one hour without any advisory. Why? Creating inconvenience to commuters."
Stuck in jams, several distressed people came out of their cars, hoping the traffic would reduce.
"I was coming from Sector 62, took DME and saw traffic up to Outer Ring Road. I initially thought it was the usual peak hour congestion, which caused me a 40-minute delay. Later, I was disappointed to see the road blocked by a police car and rope, and people stuck owing to VIP movement," a commuter told TOI.
Other stretches, including stretches near Akshardham and IIT, faced similar situation as the New Zealand PM was scheduled to visit these locations. The barricading led to chaos as commuters were caught off guard.
A senior traffic official, speaking on the condition of anonymity told TOI that advisories cannot be issued due to safety and logistical reasons.
"Traffic police abide by the instructions they get, which is to cause minimum inconvenience to people and manage traffic flow. Any visit of a foreign delegate is also due to national interest, and hence, it must be respected. We follow the standard protocol, allowing light vehicles to pass until 10 minutes before the VIP movement and halting just for two-three minutes," he said.
This was the second such inconvenience for the public in three weeks. Earlier, European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen's visit to Rajghat had brought traffic to a halt in the area.
