Lucknow, Feb. 28 -- The air quality in Lucknow continues to remain under stress, with fine particulate matter (PM2.5) emerging as one of the most serious public health threats in the city. Experts claimed that while traffic diversions introduced by the Lucknow Police and Lucknow Municipal Corporation aim to reduce congestion at busy intersections, they may be increasing pollution levels instead of curbing them.

"Urban mobility assessments indicate that diversion routes introduced to ease bottlenecks often extend travel distances and time. On average, such routes add more than a kilometre and over four minutes per trip. While they may reduce congestion at specific signals, they can increase overall "engine-on time", leading to more idling...