Prayagraj: For a hassle-free travel experience on city roads and highways Prayagraj to Lucknow, Kanpur, Pratapgarh, Reewa and Varanasi, the district traffic police have identified 10 busiest routes for implementation of Reducing Traffic Congestion (RTC) plan.The routes identified under the plan include Phaphamau Bazar to MNNIT trisection (Prayagraj -Lucknow highway), Mercury crossing to Karelabagh, Arial crossing to Cheoki (Prayagraj -Mirzapur), Kutchery to Anand Bhawan, South Malaka to Prayagraj junction Jogavir, Gohaniya to Dadupur (Prayagraj-Reewa), GT Jawahar to Shastri Bridge (Prayagraj-Varanasi), Kanhaipur turn to Mahilagram, Kothaparcha to Karbala, and Bagar Chowk to Leprosy Crossing.The authorities have also deployed additional traffic police personnel and route marshals for smooth vehicular movement.Additional DCP (traffic) Pushkar Verma told TOI, “Traffic police authorities have chalked out a concrete plan to reduce traffic congestion as a part of the RTC project and deployed additional traffic policemen, thana cops concerned and a route marshal at every identified route”.“These routes have been identified after carrying out a scientific study taking travel time and peak hours into account. The plan aims to improve traffic flow and ensure an obstacle free journey,” he added.Verma said “We have deployed dedicated route marshals on the 10 biggest congested stretches to streamline vehicular movement during peak hours”.The plan aims to target the high-density 10 stretches, where travel time often shoots up to around three to five times during rush hours. Route marshals have also been imparted training to streamline traffic on their designated stretch. Their responsibilities include on-ground regulation, immediate response to traffic congestion, and coordination with multiple agencies including thana cops concerned to address bottlenecks.The RTC project was launched at 20 districts of the state including all seven commissionerates and is termed as a part of a larger strategy to modernize urban traffic management and improve commuter experience.Senior traffic police officials are also integrating real-time monitoring using Google’s live traffic tracking system, allowing quick identification and response to congestion points.A senior cop said “RTC plan includes important terminology including the area of responsibility (AOR – minimum 10km route), travel time, minimum travel time, maximum travel time, average travel time, and congestion point”.He adds “A specialised app has been prepared to record daily data and calculate minimum, maximum and average travel time on these identified stretches. Senior cops will be monitoring this in real time,”. The plan is also guided by a ‘5E strategy’ — Education and Awareness, Enforcement, Engineering and Technological Intervention, Encroachment Removal, and Regulation of e-rickshaw operations — to ensure holistic traffic management.
