Bollards to be installed to prevent unauthorised vehicle entry

Relief for pedestrians on Mussoorie’s Mall Road
By Sunil Sonker
Mussoorie, 22 Oct: The administration has ramped up preparations to improve the experience for evening pedestrians on the Mall Road in Mussoorie and to effectively regulate vehicular movement. Bollards will be installed at four to five locations to block the entry of vehicles onto the Mall Road during restricted hours. Additionally, there are plans to install bollards on access roads connecting to the Mall Road, ensuring that vehicles cannot enter from alternate routes. Led by SDM Rahul Anand, officials from various departments inspected the Mall Road and identified suitable locations for the installation. The initiative aims to keep the Mall Road vehicle-free during designated hours, allowing tourists and locals to stroll without the inconvenience of navigating through traffic. Currently, vehicles often enter the Mall Road via connecting routes, making it difficult to enforce traffic restrictions during prohibited times. The installation of bollards is intended to strengthen monitoring and control at these entry points.The inspection was conducted by SDM Rahul Anand, accompanied by Municipal Executive Officer Gaurav Bhasin, representatives from the surveying agency, Executive Engineer of the Jal Sansthan (Water Department) Santosh Upadhyay, and officials from the Public Works Department (PWD). During the site visit, locations for the bollards were selected with careful consideration to ensure that underground water pipelines and other utility infrastructure remain undisturbed.
SDM Rahul Anand stated that the decision to install bollards was reached following a meeting at the administrative level regarding traffic management on the Mall Road. In line with this, a joint site inspection was carried out with the relevant departments. The engineering team conducting the survey has requested one week to prepare their report. Once the survey is complete, the subsequent process—including the tendering procedure—will commence. This entire process is expected to take approximately one month. Under the administration’s plan, the installation of bollards is being considered at locations such as Green Chowk, Ambedkar Chowk, Bahar Kainchi, and the route leading toward Hampton Court School. A key aspect of this initiative is to prevent vehicles from accessing Mall Road via these entry points. However, Camel’s Back Road has been excluded from this plan; according to the SDM, since local residents live along this route and several hotels operate there, it will remain open. Meanwhile, Mall Road will be designated as a strictly restricted zone for vehicular entry during the specified hours, with no unnecessary exemptions permitted. SDM Rahul Anand stated that vehicular movement on Mall Road will be prohibited between 4:30 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. Essential services and government vehicles will be granted exemptions in accordance with the established rules. The administration’s objective is to create a safe and convenient environment for pedestrians by restricting vehicular traffic on Mall Road during these hours. Work will commence only after the completion of the survey, site selection, and tendering processes.