Enhancing Mobility Around a Large Exhibition Ground

(A Case Study of Pragati Maidan, New Delhi)

Kant Chawla

RITES, A premier transport consultancy organisation developed an area management plan for a
large exhibition ground in New Delhi popularly known as Pragati Maidan to enhance the
vehicular and pedestrian mobility during the exhibition days. Comprehensive traffic studies and
surveys were undertaken to assess the existing traffic characteristics. Various alternative traffic
management concepts were developed and evaluated. The most suitable concept plan was
recommended which envisaged full access control, pedestrian safety, additional parking areas
and their integration.
Introduction & Need for the Study
Pragati Maidan-the national exhibition ground is located in the heart of New Delhi is spread over
149 acres of prime land attracts about 0.23 million visitors per day, during exhibition days
overloading the existing road transport infrastructure. The large number of entering vehicles and
pedestrians during this period leads to utter chaos in the surrounding /influence areas of Pragati
Maidan.
In addition, about 9000 vehicles are parked on the major arterials of the area surrounding the
Pragati Maidan. The resultant chaos leads to traffic congestion, reduced speeds and over
saturation of Intersection capacities. This factor along with poor pedestrian facilities, haphazard
parking and lack of traffic awareness leads to poor traffic movement in this area.
Site Appraisal
The exhibition ground site is located along the Mathura Road and forms a part of the area
designed as City Centre. Roads on three sides and Railway line on the fourth side bind the
exhibition ground.
The major Intersections in the immediate vicinity of the exhibition ground are Sikandra RoadTilak Marg junction, T-junctions on Mathura Road with Bhagwan Dass Road, Purana Quila
Road and Bhairon Marg and the junction bound by Ring Road and Bhairon Marg.
The Exhibition ground (Pragati Maidan) has five (5) Gates/Entries. Gate number 1 also called
the Gate of Friendship, is on the Bhairon Marg and mainly caters to the people coming from East
and part of South Delhi. There are three gates/entries on Mathura Road. Gate number 2 (Gate of
Humanity) is located opposite Purana Quila Road. The third Gate, which is also, called the Gate
of Hope, lies opposite Bhagwan Dass Road.Both these gates cater to the traffic/people coming
from Central, West and North Delhi.

Gate number 4 (Gate of Harmony) is an entry to the amusement park (Appu Ghar) and hence
attracts large number of people. Finally, Gate number 5 (Gate of Goodwill) is an entry from the
Pragati Maidan Railway Station. Besides these five main gates, there is a gate leading to the
administrative block of India Trade Promotion Organisation (ITPO). The entry from this gate is
restricted.
Figure1 shows the layout of Pragati Maidan.

Road Network Characteristics

The road network exhibits well established hierarchy. The Mahatama Gandhi Road(Ring Road)
has a Right of Way (ROW) of 60 metres with 6 lanes divided Carriageway. The other major
arterials i.e. Mathura Road and Bhairon Road also have 6 lanes divided carriageway.
Most of the Intersections in the study area are three arm junctions. The Intersections along
Mathura Road are at short distances and signalised but not co-ordinated.
LandUse Characteristics
The landuse in the study area is predominantly major tourist attractions and some pockets of VIP
residential areas. The landuse along this stretch of Mathura Road is major tourist attractions like
Appu Ghar (Amusement Park), Exhibition ground, Zoological Park, National Sports Club of

India and Purana Quila. The Bhairon Road has Container Corporation Depot, National Science
Museum etc. The third road influencing the Pragati Maidan area is Mahatma Gandhi Road
popularly known as the Ring Road of Delhi (A major arterial road ).
All these centres attract large volumes of traffic both vehicular and pedestrian. The landuse along
the major access roads leading to Mathura Road are Supreme Court of India and Indian Law
Institute on Bhagwan Dass Road and VIP residences on Purana Quila Road. The abutting
landuse along Bhairon Marg is also tourist attraction points. The encroachments by hawkers are
significant during exhibition days. There are well-organised bus and taxi terminals in the study
area. The landuse in the study area is as presented in Figure 1.
Traffic Appraisal
In order to assess the existing traffic characteristics, various traffic surveys were conducted on all
the major roads in the influence area of the Exhibition Ground.The survey locations are indicated
in Figure2.

Traffic Volume Surveys

The traffic volume surveys were carried out on 5 major Mid-block locations, the results of which
are presented in Table1. It can be seen that on different sections of Mathura Road the daily

traffic volume varies from 46000 vehicles to 53000 vehicles. Private vehicles constitute about 80
percent of the total traffic. The corresponding Passenger Car Units (PCU) for different sections
are also presented in the same Table.
Table1 Traffic Volumes at Selected Locations ( Both directions 16 hours)
Type of Vehicles
Car
Sc/Mc
Auto
Buses
Others
Total
Section
Tilak bridgeBD Road Jn
BD Rd. JnPurana Quila Jn
Purana Quila JnBhairon Rd. Jn
Bhairon Rd. Jn
Ring Rd. Jn.

Vehs

Pcus

Vehs

Pcus

Vehs

Pcus

Vehs

Pcus

Vehs

Pcus

Vehs

Pcus

13077

13077

24020

22218

4132

3822

3108

9324

2025

4050

46362

52491

14040

14040

25520

23733

3920

3625

3080

9240

2328

4656

48888

55294

15163

15163

28072

26106

4116

3807

3172

9516

2560

5120

53083

59712

6248

6248

14471

13458

1520

1406

400

1200

822

1644

23461

23956

Composition of Traffic
The composition of traffic for the same sections is presented in Table 2. It can be seen from the
Table that the share of Private vehicles varies from 80 to 88 percent whereas the share of Public
transport ranges between 8 to 16 percent. The share of Other vehicles is insignificant.
Further, analysis of Volume versus Capacity as presented in Table3 shows that the volumecapacity ratio is critical and more than unity on all sections of Mathura Road and on Bhairon
Marg the volume-capacity ratio exceeded of 0.70.
Table 2 Composition of Traffic at Selected Sections
Section

Composition of Traffic(Percentage)
Private Public/IPT Others
Total
80
16
4
100

Tilak bridge- BD Road Jn

BD Rd. Jn-Purana Quila Jn

81

14

100

Purana Quila Jn-Bhairon Rd. Jn

81

14

100

Bhairon Rd. Jn-Ring Road Jn.

88

100

Table 3 Volume- Capacity Along the Selected Sections

Section
Tilak bridge- BD Road Jn
BD Rd. Jn-Purana Quila Jn
Purana Quila Jn-Bhairon Rd. Jn
Bhairon Rd. Jn-Ring Road Jn.

Number of Lanes
6
6
6
6

Lane Capacity =900 PCUs/Hour

Volume-Capacity Ratio
1.26
1.33
1.43
0.75

Parking Characteristics
The estimated parking demand for Cars is 5025 per day whereas the parking demand for TwoWheeler is 10050 per day.
At a parking turnover of 2.2 vehicles the parking demand estimated for Cars and Two-Wheeler
works out to be 2284 and 4568 respectively. Therefore, the Equivalent Car Spaces demand was
estimated to be 3800.
Distribution of the estimated supply identified for various locations is presented in Table 4
Table 4 Parking Supply By Location
Parking Area
Parking Supply
Proposed Multi-Level(Bhairon Marg)
Container Corporation Depot
Radial Roads( BD & PQ)
Total

1625
615
800
3040

The organised parking supply available in the influence area of Exhibition ground is at Bhairon
Marg (Near Purana Quila &Container Depot), Bhagwan Dass Road and Purana Quila Road etc.
The total parking spaces available at these locations as shown in Table 4 is estimated to be about
3000. The gap in parking demand-supply indicates that there is a shortfall of parking spaces to
the tune of about 800 parking spaces.
Identification of Problems
During the exhibition days, Pragati Maidan attracts and generates very large volumes of traffic
and hence, there occurs a demand for parking and obstruction to the smooth flow of traffic.
Moreover, Appu Ghar, the amusement park also adds to the congestion, thereby restricting traffic
flow on Mathura Road.
Gate Number 1 and the huge parking area on Bhairon Road also generates/attracts high volume
of traffic causing congestion and chaos for the smooth dispersal of traffic. Large-scale
encroachments also restrict traffic flow during exhibition days.
Besides these general problems the major problems identified are listed below: -

The presence of three pedestrian entries on the Mathura Road leads to the accumulation of a
large number of pedestrians on either side of the Mathura Road, thus reducing the effective
width of the road over that section inhibiting the smooth flow of traffic.
In the absence of the grade separated pedestrian walkway, a large number of these
pedestrians incessantly cross the road thus affecting the continuous and smooth flow of
traffic on the road.
Haphazard parking of vehicles on Mathura Road, Bhairon Marg and peripheral roads
completely chokes the roads due to poor dispersal of vehicles from the parking lots/areas.

Due to the limited organised parking areas, which are mainly located on Bhairon Marg and
other connecting roads like Bhagwan Dass Road and Purana Quila Road. The high volume
of traffic is encouraged on Mathura Road and Bhairon Road because of the fact that all the
vehicles entering from West and Central Delhi have no organised parking area/lot near
India Gate or its vicinity, thus, inducing this substantial traffic to come on to Mathura Road
causing congestion and confusion.

Volume-Capacity ratio on the various sections of Mathura Road varies from 1.26 to 1.43
during exhibition/fair days. Traffic stream speeds along the road are less than 10-15 Km/h.

There is no Pedestrian Entry Gate for the Exhibition Ground (Pragati Maidan) from Ring
Road putting unnecessary pressure on other roads in the influence area.

There are a number of Median openings resulting in conflicts, thereby obstructing smooth
flow of traffic.

Right turning traffic from major access roads and Bhairon Road adds to the already chaotic
traffic.

Alternative Concept Plans

Various alternative traffic management measures pertaining to least cost short-term solutions
have been developed to eliminate /reduce the intensity of problems. They are as follows:
Do-Nothing Approach
The Concept is presented to highlight the gravity of problems in and around the surrounding area
of Exhibition Ground. This option does not involve any improvements in the existing pattern or
flow of traffic stream and is shown in Figure3.
The salient features along with their implications are as follows: Salient Features

Traffic Stream controlled manually

No access control
Inadequate Pedestrian Facilities
Unorganised Parking
Encroachments

Implications

Pedestrian-Vehicular Conflicts
Chaos and Congestion
Inadequate Carriageway
Poor dispersal of traffic

Long queue lengths at Intersections

High volume- capacity ratio

Concept II
This concept attempts to provide minor improvements in and around the exhibition area (Pragati
Maidan) although no major intervention is proposed. The minor improvements accompanying
this concept are as follows: Salient Features

Manually controlled traffic at Intersections

Access control
No Right turns allowed
Regimented traffic flows
Regulated pedestrian movement
Additional parking spaces on radial roads namely Bhagwan Dass , Purana Quila and
Bhairon Road

Implications

Considerable reduction in Pedestrian-Vehicular conflicts

Reduced chaos and congestion
Parking spaces enhanced
Least cost management solution

The Concept II is presented in Figure4.

Concept III
This concept, besides considering the proposals of concept II envisages the provision of
additional link to exhibition ground from Ring Road. This will reduce the pressure of traffic on
Mathura and Bhairon Road. The existing parking spaces will also be enhanced. The salient
features along with their implications are listed below: Salient Features

Proposals of Concept II
Provision of additional link to exhibition ground from Ring Road
Additional parking spaces

Implications

Construction of new link from Ring Road

Provision of Underbridge
Reduced pressure of traffic on existing influence roads, thereby improving level of
service
The Concept III is presented in Figure5.

Concept IV
This option envisages full access control, pedestrian segregation, additional organised parking
area, integration with parking areas This is besides the proposals already mentioned in Concept
III. The salient features along with their implications are listed as under: Salient Features

Proposals as listed in Concept III

Two pedestrian subways opposite Gate number 2 & 3
Parking area opposite National Stadium
Free flowing traffic on this stretch of Mathura Road
Safety of both Pedestrians and Vehicular traffic

Implications

No Pedestrian-Vehicular conflicts
Full access control
Additional organised parking areas
Well integrated parking areas

Concept IV is presented in Figure6.

Recommended Concept Plan

Considering the salient features and the stated implications of the different concepts, Concept IV
was recommended for implementation to alleviate the traffic problems of Pragati Maidan and its
influence area. The Concept is comprehensive in nature and provides for the vehicular-pedestrian
safety, quick dispersal of traffic, full access control, construction of new link to ease the pressure
on existing arterials and also satiating about 80 percent of total parking demand arising out of
Exhibition and other attraction centres in and around Pragati Maidan.

Authors Information
Mr. Kant Chawla is employed as a Manager (Traffic & Transport) with the Urban Transport
Division of RITES, A Government of India Enterprise, which is premier Techno-Economic
transport consultancy organisation. He has over 11 years of experience in carrying out urban
transport planning and traffic engineering studies/projects. A Post-Graduate in Transport
Planning, he is also affiliated to various Professional Institutes viz. Associate Member, Institute
of Transportation Engineers, Member, Institute of Urban Transport, Member, Indian Roads
Congress etc. His present assignment includes the Redevelopment of New Delhi Railway
Station.