Laxmi Road ‘walking plaza’ remains a one-day affair

The reason behind the limitation is the lack of alternate traffic routes and opposition from shop-owners

First proposed in 2011, the Pune Municipal Corporation’s (PMC’s) long-standing plan to convert Laxmi Road into a ‘walking plaza’ on weekends has seen limited progress due to inadequate traffic diversion strategies and resistance from local shop-owners. So much so that over the past four years, the PMC has managed to implement the walking plaza concept only on an 800-metre stretch of the three-kilometre-long Laxmi Road, that too on December 11 (alone) which is observed annually as ‘World Pedestrian Day’.

While PMC officials are working on traffic diversion strategies, shopkeepers are concerned about the potential impact of vehicle-free days on their business. (MAHENDRA KOLHE/ HT)

While the idea was to pedestrianise Laxmi Road on weekends, encouraging people to walk freely and shop without traffic disruptions, the vehicle-free zone is restricted to just one day every year (World Pedestrian Day) with no plans to extend it on weekends throughout the year.

The reason behind the limitation is the lack of alternate traffic routes and opposition from shop-owners. While PMC officials are working on traffic diversion strategies, shopkeepers are concerned about the potential impact of vehicle-free days on their business. They argue that such days might affect customer footfalls, especially during peak shopping season. So while the PMC has been recognised by the ministry of housing and urban affairs (MoHUA) for its efforts to pedestrianise Laxmi Road, the concept remains far from being implemented throughout the city.

Despite these challenges, civic activists like Prashant Inamdar continue to push for a regular walking plaza on Laxmi Road, pointing out that the benefits for pedestrians will find their way to local businesses in the long run. However, until the issues of traffic management and business concerns are addressed, the walking plaza will continue to be an annual event rather than a weekly occurrence.

Aniruddha Pawaskar, chief superintendent of the road department at PMC, said, “We do not have a proper traffic diversion plan to be able to make Laxmi Road a walking plaza for even two days a week. Additionally, shop-owners are concerned that walking plaza days will affect their business. However, we are hopeful that we can convince the shop-owners. We are working on a plan and discussing it with the traffic police for the future.”

Nikhil Mijar, traffic planner at PMC, said, “The 800-metre stretch from Nimbalkar Talim to Garud Ganpati Chowk transforms into a pedestrian-only zone on designated days. Traffic is diverted to parallel roads like Kelkar and Kumthekar roads. We also allow crossings at Umbrya Ganpati and Kunte Chowk. No other road in the city has two alternate routes for traffic diversion like this one.”

“To transform Laxmi Road into a walking plaza, we involve all stakeholders, including residents, Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Limited (PMPML) officials, traffic police, local representatives, shop-owners and hawkers. Together, we discuss issues and create detailed plans. Although the idea of a walking plaza was included in Pune’s development plan (DP), it wasn’t implemented earlier. Making Laxmi Road a walking plaza for even one day a week is challenging,” Mijar continued.

“In 2021, we started with a 400-metre walking plaza from Nimbalkar Talim to Umbrya Ganpati Chowk. In 2022, we extended it to Garud Ganpati Chowk. By 2023, we combined both stretches, creating an 800-metre pedestrian zone from Nimbalkar Talim to Garud Ganpati Chowk. This marks the beginning of converting the entire road into a walking plaza. The process takes time, but we’ve been working on it for four years now,” Mijar said.

Amol Zende, deputy commissioner of traffic police, said, “We need to evaluate the feasibility. At present, we cannot take an immediate decision.”