Transport department cracks down on lane cutting on Mum-Pune e-way

While lanes are classified according to the type of vehicles, heavy or otherwise, many vehicles are found spending far too much time in the ‘overtaking’ or ‘passing’ lane, according to department officials

Pune -With lane cutting becoming a major problem on the Pune-Mumbai expressway (e-way), the state transport department has been busy taking action against vehicles found lane cutting and flouting traffic norms on the e-way. In the last three months, as many as 3,911 vehicles have been caught cutting lanes on the e-way. While lanes are classified according to the type of vehicles, heavy or otherwise, many vehicles are found spending far too much time in the ‘overtaking’ or ‘passing’ lane, according to department officials.

The state transport department has been taking action against vehicles flouting rules on the Pune-Mumbai e-way for the last three months. (HT PHOTO)

Bharat Kalaskar, deputy state transport commissioner, said, “On an average, 65,000 to 70,000 vehicles ply on the Pune-Mumbai e-way between Monday and Friday. The number increases by around 10,000 on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays. When headed to Pune from Mumbai, many drivers choose the time between 3 and 4 pm in the afternoon. When these drivers/vehicles enter the ghat section at around 5 pm, it creates major traffic congestion. Due to this, there are huge traffic jams through the evening till about 9 pm. A large number of heavy vehicles and containers are part of this traffic. So, the public should not choose the time between 5 pm and 9 pm to avoid this problem.”

“Whereas signages for trucks and four-wheelers are in white so that the drivers can see them. There are huge traffic jams in the ghat section in the evening. Passengers should start their journey before 3 to 4 pm so that this dilemma can be avoided,” Kalaskar said.

The state transport department has been taking action against vehicles flouting rules on the Pune-Mumbai e-way for the last three months. The e-way has three lanes each on the left- and right- side for heavy vehicles, the middle lane for four-wheelers, and the right lane reserved for overtaking vehicles. A vehicle is expected to return to its designated lane after overtaking however some vehicles continue to drive in the overtaking lane.

Aditya Purandare, who travels frequently by the e-way, said, “We need to maintain constant speed on the e-way while driving, so we cannot immediately recognise which lane is for what purpose. The transport department officials should not penalise drivers for lane cutting as most of the drivers do follow highway rules for their own safety.”