Vehicle breakdowns have remained a perennial problem on Delhi’s major roads in the past few years, bringing traffic to a crawl for hours, traffic police officials familiar with the department’s data said.
Police receive alerts about breakdowns on major roads almost every day, with Ring Road, Outer Ring Road and Mathura Road among stretches frequently affected. Specialised cranes have to be brought from the nearest Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) depot, and buses generally have to be lifted from the rear rather than the front. They can also increase fuel consumption and vehicular emissions. “Even a single vehicle breakdown can significantly affect traffic movement, particularly on busy roads and during peak hours. When a vehicle becomes immobile, it reduces the effective road or lane capacity, slows down traffic and can lead to long queues behind the stranded vehicle. Depending on the location and extent of congestion, traffic personnel, recovery cranes and diversion measures may have to be deployed to restore normal movement.
Delhi Traffic Police data showed 468 vehicle breakdowns have been reported as of September 17. The traffic police have 110 cranes for removing such vehicles. Senior traffic police officers said they have verbally asked DTC to train drivers to release the buses’ wheel-lock mechanism — which prevents the wheels from turning when a bus is immobilised — so that stranded vehicles can be moved more easily. Because of prolonged idling and repeated acceleration,” said a senior traffic police officer, this not only increases the travel time of commuters but also results in higher fuel consumption.
Most breakdowns involving prolonged traffic disruption are of buses, officials said. Traffic police officers posted on the field said breakdowns of large commercial vehicles, particularly buses, pose the biggest challenge. Traffic police officers and experts said vehicle breakdowns have a direct impact on road capacity, slowing traffic and creating queues, longer travel times and secondary congestion on adjoining roads. The impact is particularly pronounced during peak hours,” said additional commissioner of police (traffic) Dinesh Kumar Gupta. Traffic police officers said enforcement drives against improper parking and other violations had helped improve compliance, but breakdowns remained more difficult to address.
“Slow-moving and stationary vehicles contribute to increased vehicular emissions and air pollution. “Clearing a breakdown, therefore, is not merely about removing one vehicle from the road.
The officer said congestion could also spill over to adjoining roads, intersections and alternative routes, creating secondary bottlenecks. More importantly, such obstructions can affect the movement of emergency vehicles, including ambulances and fire tenders,” the officer said.
