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No concrete solutions for SPPU chowk leave traffic in a mess
Ever since the demolition of the old flyover at SPPU a year ago and of the long turn towards Senapati Bapat road, navigating Raj Bhavan road and university chowk has become a nightmare
At a time when the Pune Unified Metropolitan Transport Authority (PUMTA) is planning various measures to ensure smooth flow of traffic at the Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU) chowk, residents of and commuters travelling through Aundh, Baner, Pashan and Aundh road are facing major logjams, almost every day. Ever since the demolition of the old flyover a year ago and of the long turn towards Senapati Bapat road, navigating Raj Bhavan road and university chowk has become a nightmare.
Vaishali Patkar, who travels daily between Balewadi and SB road, said, “All the traffic gets jammed at one junction at the University chowk and it takes more than 30 to 45 minutes to cross the small stretch between the university gate and the turning towards Senapati Bapat road at Bhosale nagar. Nowadays, I avoid travelling via the university in the morning and evening. Many a time, I get stuck in traffic which is made worse by pollution.”
While it takes at least 25 minutes to cross the university signal while travelling from Baner to Senapati Bapat road, commuters are not keen on diversions as they feel it is a waste of time and money and will not help the situation.
Sanskriti Menon said, “Diversions are not going to work and the only solution is to increase public transport. I also feel that diverting traffic through the university is a bad idea. The university is a place for students to pursue their studies. Students will be back on campus soon and for no fault of theirs, they will be subjected to noise and pollution and the tranquil atmosphere will be highly disturbed.”
Another commuter, Sujit Kulkarni, echoed similar sentiments. “More public transport will help. Also, people should start using more and more share rides. Like Sride is one option I use frequently,” he said.
Harshad Abhyangkar, an urban planning and transport expert, said, “I remember that when the earlier flyovers were being built, PMPML buses were diverted ‘to streamline traffic’ whereas private vehicles enjoyed the shortest route. This increased fuel expenses for PMPML and duration of the trip for PMPML commuters. They should not repeat the mistake once again. If at all they want to divert, they should divert cars and two-wheelers. In fact, they should additionally provide more PMPML buses, un-diverted. If some private vehicle users do not like PMPML enjoying a diversion-free ride, they can keep their vehicles at home and take the bus instead.”
Meanwhile, some people are of the view that if it takes a four-wheeler at university circle one to one-and-a-half hours to travel, it will take just 10 minutes on a bicycle if there is a dedicated track. Some residents blamed politicians for PMC’s ‘elaborate and devious’ plan to purposely create traffic chaos to justify destructive road projects such as HCMTR, Balbharti-Paud phata road and Kothrud-Panchawati tunnel.
“These projects are illogical and will not solve traffic issues. They will in fact create more problems and increase pollution. The real reason these are even being designed and pushed is for the benefit of a few contractors and builders,” said a resident.
