Kamal Ghorui
NEW DELHI: After Day 1 of the AI Summit, on-ground traffic patterns showed curbs were far more localised than initially feared. While around 51 roads were placed under the ‘controlled’ category and two under ‘restricted’, the major disruption was largely limited to areas around the venue, with much of the city witnessing relatively smoother movement despite it being the first working day of the week. Ishita Jha gives you a ready reckoner of traffic restrictions in the coming days.
Day 1 Feb 16What happened: Restricted roads
- Mathura Road
- Bhairon Marg
- Roads near
Bharat Mandapam
Morning (10.30am – 11am)
- Many people thought the expo was open
- A large crowd gathered outside the venue
- Result: Traffic jam on nearby roads
Evening (6.40pm – 6.55pm)
- Roads briefly closed for VIP movement
- After reopening traffic spillover reported
- Major jam stretch: ITO – Bharat Mandapam
- Example: 2.2 km took about 33 minutes
After evening movement
- No further restrictions for the day
Once again, TOI spoke to traffic officials to get a clearer understanding of the real on-ground traffic impact during the AI Summit, here’s what they said:
Day 2 Feb 17What to expect: Expo Open For Public
- No official road closures planned
Possible Slow Traffic Near
- Bharat Mandapam
- Nearby roads are crowded due to the visitor crowd
Sources also told TOI: No daytime restrictions expected due to lower turnoutDay 3 Feb 18What To Expect: Hotels Involved
- VIP guests will be moved to and from Bharat Mandapam from these major hotels. Plan your travel accordingly
- The Imperial
- Le Meridien
- Taj Mahal Hotel
- The Oberoi
- The Ashok
- ITC Maurya
- Teen Murti Chowk
- The Claridges
- Taj Palace
- The Leela Palace
- Hyatt Regency
- AIIMS
Likely restriction time (6.30pm – 7.15pm) (evening)How traffic will be managed
- Some VIP vehicles will move via Teen Murti Chowk
- Roads will be restricted one after another (not at once)
- Multiple diversions
- Expect slow movement
Important Closure
- Mathura Road may be fully closed for around 30 minutes during evening movement. During this time, Bhairon Marg towards ITO will be restricted, but remain open towards Delhi Zoo
Overall Expected Traffic (Feb 18)
- Working day + normal office traffic already high
- VIP movement
- Extra congestion likely on roads
Day 5 Feb 20WHat To ExpectAI Summit: Heavy footfall, long queues mark Day 1If the first day of AI Impact Summit 2026 on Monday is any indication, visitors heading to Bharat Mandapam over the coming days would do well to factor in extra time for entry and movement inside the sprawling venue. Heavy traffic around the complex and an unexpectedly high turnout on the first day led to long queues, which started early in the morning. From school and college students to developers and startup founders; all converged on the venue to get a glimpse of the AI Impact Expo, which was inaugurated by PM in the evening.While businessmen were exploring how they could partner to deploy AI in their businesses, students hunted for cheaper options for cloud services.Registered delegates, exhibitors and officials waited to clear security and access summit halls and exhibition zones. The delay was most pronounced for those carrying laptop bags and other personal belongings, with security checks stretching up to 45 minutes during peak hours. Volunteers were repeatedly seen urging attendees to keep laptops and devices ready for scanning to speed up the process.The DigiYatra system, deployed as a dedicated AI-powered entry channel for the summit, largely functioned as intended, ushering in thousands of participants through facial recognition and QR code scans. However, the sheer volume of footfall meant the system occasionally slowed down or momentarily stalled, leading to short backups at entry points. Volunteers equipped with handheld scanners, however, stepped in to manually clear delegates and keep queues moving.“AI bhi thoda sochta hai,” joked one volunteer as she waved a delegate through, drawing smiles from those waiting. The moment neatly captured the summit’s spirit — cutting-edge technology backed by quick human judgement.The crowd is only going to swell Tuesday onwards with over 1.5 lakh registered for the mega show that will see top AI players land in the capital along with over 20 heads of states.
