E-Paper
Fatimanagar residents demand reopening of T-junction for pedestrian safety
The residents have demanded that PMC and traffic police reopen the T-junction, mark zebra crossings at the location, switch on traffic signals along the stretch, and replace the concrete barrier with bollards
Residents, supported by the Save Pune Traffic Movement, staged a protest on Monday evening demanding the reopening of the T-junction at Fatimanagar for safer pedestrian movement and better access to public transport.
Protesters briefly stopped traffic on the Solapur Highway near Fatimanagar and forcefully crossed the road to highlight the dangers faced by pedestrians since the junction was closed.
Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) and traffic police had on experiment basis shut the junction on November 27 last year to make Solapur Road signal-free, erecting a one-foot-high concrete barricade that even two-wheelers cannot cross.
“The closure has forced pedestrians to dash across high-speed traffic without a safe crossing, while PMPML buses and ambulances are forced to take long detours,” said Harshad Abhyankar of Save Pune Traffic Movement. “Citizens and volunteers wearing helmets formed a human chain to help people cross safely—symbolising the kind of infrastructure the city should provide to pedestrians.”
Local senior citizen Ashatai Shinde said, “Our demand is simply the right to walk and cross the road safely. Pedestrians are being sidelined in favour of personal motor vehicles.”
Another resident, Nazir Khan, pointed out that the unsafe crossing affects people of all ages. “Not only senior citizens and adults, but schoolchildren are also forced to cross the road in risky conditions. Instead of ensuring safety, the administration focuses on fast-moving traffic,” he said.
The residents have demanded that PMC and traffic police reopen the T-junction, mark zebra crossings at the location, switch on traffic signals along the stretch, and replace the concrete barrier with bollards.
