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Size: 4,700 square meters
Key partner: Delhi Traffic Police
WRI conducted a design trial at the Delhi Gate intersection in New Delhi in 2021 to improve road safety for all road users. The large, ill-designed junction led to speeding, overtaking of vehicles and bottlenecks at the exits. The junction also had large crossing distances causing serious injuries and fatal crashes among the more than 25,000 pedestrians who pass through during peak hours.
Crash data collected between 2017 and 2020 showed 18 fatalities and 46 serious injuries, making Delhi Gate one of the riskiest intersections in the city. To address the road safety issues, the intersection’s geometry was changed to make it compact, manageable and easy to cross, thus making it safer for all street users, especially pedestrians. The trial was executed with traffic cones, paint, barricades, and temporary signage to help streamline traffic movement and prioritize safe pedestrian movement.
During the trial, pedestrian crossing distances were reduced from 90-60 meters to 30 meters. For vehicles, the length of the intersection, and thus the intersection clearance time, was reduced by 60%. A total of 2,500 square meters was added to the medians and pedestrian islands, giving safe space to vulnerable road users on all sides. The length of the pedestrian crossing was shortened to 5 meters to better accommodate pedestrian volume.
Impact:
- 70% reduction in space allocated for motorized vehicles.
- More than 300 users from the age group of 21-40 were surveyed.
- 99% of pedestrians surveyed felt the junction was safer and more inclusive.
Safer Streets with the Bloomberg Philanthropies Initiative for Global Road Safety is part of our WRI Ross Center for Sustainable Cities.
