Your drive to the Taj Mahal is going to get easier

The impact of the Yamuna Expressway connecting Delhi NCR and Agra has been two-fold. It has made Agra a premier weekend getaway for Delhiites, creating tourism revenue and it has added to an ever-aggravating traffic problem on the roads leading to the Taj Mahal and other popular tourist joints.

But if the new traffic management plan devised by the Agra Divisional Commissioner comes into effect, the tourists coming to Agra through the expressway may have to leave their vehicles at designated parking spots outside Agra and arrange for a shared transport into the city, which is expected to reduce weekend traffic.

Inspired by a traffic management experiment conducted in Vrindavan, this plan will aims end the traffic woes of the locals and tourists alike, while also increasing the probability of a rise in revenue through increased hours of stay per tourist.

According to Shamshuddin, President of Approved Guides Association of Agra, every weekend, roads around the Taj Mahal face hours-long traffic jams which not only affect business, but also affect the health of the Taj Mahal due to the noxious fumes rising from the vehicles stuck in one place for hours. Hundreds of tourists have to either reschedule their itineraries in order to view the Taj Mahal or return in mid way, aborting their Taj viewing plans.

Talking to India Today, Prahalad Agrawal, President, Agra Tourist Welfare Chamber said, "This traffic plan could save a lot of hassle for the tourists who will not have to face the traffic jams inside the city and will have the benefit of a comfortable and worry-free transportation to the Taj Mahal and back. However, the administration should also think about the problems that the tourists could face in the absence of a comprehensive public transportation plan for them."

"The safety of their vehicles in the designated parking spots outside the city will also have to be ensured which is not an easy task. Before implementing such a massive plan, the administration should do some trial runs and not plunge headlong into some experiment that could create chaos instead of solving it," he added.

Agra Divisional Commissioner Pradeep Bhatnagar said that this plan has been highly successful in Vrindavan and if it was also successful in Agra, it will be also implemented in Mathura soon as it was aimed at increasing the ease of travelling for tourists inside the city limits, while also raising the image of Agra by a considerable margin in the eyes of the tourist.

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