The Delhi Traffic Police on Monday urged commuters to avoid central Delhi as much as possible over the next few weeks, warning that traffic restrictions imposed in view of the Cockroach Janta Party’s (CJP) “Chalo Sansad” march and the ongoing Monsoon Session of Parliament will remain in place until August 13.Heavy traffic congestion on the Yamuna bridge due to heightened security arrangements in place for Monday’s protest march. (Sunil Ghosh/HT Photo)Police advised people to plan their journeys in advance and avoid the Parliament House and India Gate areas, where heightened security and traffic diversions are expected to continue till the end of the Parliament session.The advisory came after major traffic disruptions on Monday, the first day of the protest march, when heavy barricading and security checks brought traffic to a crawl across several parts of central Delhi.According to the traffic advisory shared on X on Monday, commuters should avoid Rafi Marg, Motilal Nehru Marg, Maulana Azad Road, Kasturba Gandhi Marg, Raisina Road, Rajendra Prasad Road, Parliament Street, Ashoka Road, Talkatora Road, Pandit Pant Marg, Rakab Ganj Gurdwara Road, Vikas Marg, DDU Marg and Minto Road.Motorists have also been advised to stay away from key intersections, including Vijay Chowk, Boat Club, Rail Bhawan roundabout, Sunehri Masjid roundabout, Patel Chowk, Boota Singh roundabout, Prime Chowk, GRG roundabout, Jalebi Chowk, ITO Chowk and Karkari Mor.Instead, police have suggested using alternate routes such as Janpath, Man Singh Road, Akbar Road, Teen Murti Marg, Shanti Path, Maulana Abdul Kalam Azad Road, Kamal Ataturk Marg, Panchsheel Marg, Vinay Marg, the Outer Circle at Connaught Place, Baba Kharak Singh Marg, Rao Tula Ram Marg, Mother Teresa Crescent Road, Sardar Patel Marg, Mahatma Gandhi Road and DBG Road, wherever feasible.“The public is requested to remain patient, cooperate with traffic personnel deployed on the roads, follow traffic rules and use alternate routes to minimise inconvenience during the Parliament session,” the advisory stated.Monday saw widespread congestion across central Delhi, with roads leading to India Gate among the worst affected. Barricades erected by Delhi Police resulted in long queues of vehicles and forced motorists to take diversions. Similar bottlenecks were reported on Vikas Marg near ITO and on the stretch connecting Sarai Kale Khan to ITO, where traffic remained bumper-to-bumper for extended periods.By afternoon, large swathes of central Delhi – particularly the area between CP in the north and Parliament in the south – were shut and barricaded as protesters swelled across the area.Traffic crawled through the Lutyens’ Delhi zone as restrictions around Parliament House disrupted the normal flow of vehicles. Several commuters reported that journeys usually taking 20 to 30 minutes stretched to nearly an hour because of diversions and congestion. While traffic personnel were deployed at key intersections to regulate movement, the combination of heavy vehicular volume, security arrangements and road closures led to slow-moving traffic across much of central Delhi for several hours.