Delhi Moves Toward Signal-Free Travel On 25 Busy Roads Across City

Delhi is planning a major overhaul of its traffic management system with proposals to make travel signal-free on 25 of the capital’s busiest road corridors. Under the plan, traffic signals at selected intersections will be removed and replaced with a “back-to-back U-turn” model aimed at improving vehicular flow, reducing congestion, and cutting travel time across key stretches of the city. The initiative has been cleared in principle following technical evaluation and is expected to be implemented in phases after further engineering and safety assessments.

Instead of relying on traditional infrastructure expansion such as flyovers and underpasses, authorities are now focusing on redesigning junctions to ensure continuous movement of traffic. Under the proposed system, vehicles will move ahead to designated U-turn points before rejoining their intended routes, allowing through traffic to remain uninterrupted. Officials say the approach is intended to reduce idle time at intersections, improve average road speeds, and lower fuel consumption, particularly in densely built urban areas where space constraints limit large-scale construction.

The proposal was cleared by Delhi Traffic Police on June 23 after detailed technical evaluation, with additional inputs from the Central Road Research Institute (CRRI). The plan is based on comprehensive traffic studies that identified chronic congestion caused by closely spaced traffic signals across multiple corridors. Authorities observed that repeated stoppages on major roads are a key factor contributing to bottlenecks, even on wide arterial stretches designed for high traffic volume.

Also Read: Dalai Lama Discharged From Hospital After Knee Surgery, Expected To Travel To Ladakh

Several of the identified corridors experience severe signal clustering. For example, Bhartendu Harishchandra Marg reportedly has 11 traffic signals within a 2-kilometre stretch between Karkardooma Mor and Yamuna Sports Complex T-point. Similarly, Road No. 71 in East Delhi sees multiple stoppages within a short distance between Yojana Vihar and Indraprastha University chowk. Officials say such conditions create ripple congestion that affects adjoining roads during peak hours, reducing overall network efficiency.

The 25 corridors span key arterial routes across all parts of the city, including stretches such as Najafgarh Road, GT Road (GT Karnal Bypass Flyover to Azadpur), Rajouri Garden–Karampura, Punjabi Bagh–Tikri Border, Mathura Road (Ashram–Apollo–Badarpur), Mehrauli–Gurugram Road, Outer Ring Road (Nehru Place–Rao Tula Ram Flyover), and several roads in North, South, East, and West Delhi. Each stretch will undergo detailed feasibility studies before any removal of traffic signals begins.

The initiative is part of a broader review of Delhi’s traffic management strategy, which is increasingly shifting from infrastructure-heavy solutions to redesigning existing road networks for better flow. The Public Works Department (PWD) will coordinate with traffic authorities to finalise implementation plans, while senior officials say the model is expected to deliver faster congestion relief at lower cost if successfully executed. Further approvals and phased execution will determine how quickly the signal-free corridors become operational across the capital.

Also Read: Kerala Approves Priyadarshini Scheme For Free Women’s Travel In KSRTC Buses