Special CWG lanes out of bounds for public from today

If the Games Village is in a mess, there will utter chaos on the roads as the national capital gears up for massive traffic jams as special lanes created for Games athletes will be out of bounds for the public.

Less than a week before the national capital plays host to the Commonwealth Games – and Delhiites must brace themselves for traffic snarls.

Starting Monday there will be restrictions on use of exclusive lanes marked for athletes and dignitaries. The CWG lanes will be closed to the general public from 8 am to 8 pm every day until October 16.

These lanes will be used to ferry athletes from the Games Village to venues across the city. Delhi police has advised commuters to avoid routes that are around the Games venues.

Airport Road, National Highway 8, Panchsheel Marg, KamalAtaturk Marg, Safdarjung Marg and Lodhi Road are among the few that commuters should not take to avoid traffic chaos. Delhiites have also been advised to avoid the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium parking area and the National Highway 24.

For commuters it is advisable to go via Shantipath, India Gate and Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg if they are travelling from South Delhi to Old Delhi Railway station. To get from south to north Delhi, they are suggested to take the Mathura Road – India Gate route.

People in West Delhi are advised to use Deshbandhu Gupta Marg and Delhi Gate to get to East Delhi.