Cycling shuts Delhi roads, some complain

NEW DELHI - Major roads in the heart of Delhi were shut for hours Sunday to host the Commonwealth Games cycling events, catching many people unawares though the road restrictions were known for days.

If this wasn’t enough, no one was allowed to enter or leave the busy Central Secretariat Metro station although commuters passing through the underground station could board other trains at the inter-change.

Metro trains did not halt at Patel Chowk station while some gates of the equally busy Rajiv Chowk, another inter-change station, were closed for commuters, a network spokesman said.

The road and Metro restrictions were lifted at 6 p.m.

The cycling event began on the street leading to the Indian parliament at 9 a.m. with the women’s 112-km Mass Start Road Race.

This was followed by the men’s 168-km road race, at the same spot after noon. Together, the two events drew around 250 cyclists.

The cycling event ended up shutting most key roads in the very heart of Delhi, in and around parliament, Connaught Place and the Jantar Mantar monument.

These included Ashoka Road, Jai Singh Road, Red Cross Road, Parliament Street, Rajendra Prasad Marg, Janpath, Rajpath, Vijay Chowk, and parts of Minto Road and Deen Dayal Upadhyay Marg.

Many commuters appeared to be unaware of the traffic restrictions despite advisories put out by the traffic police.

“We did not know about this. Our weekend got spoilt,” complained Navin Joshi, who had to take a long detour to reach the Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital.

Police said the cycling event went off smoothly.