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Residents demand to make stretch on Shankarsheth Road ‘accident-prone zone’
The road witnessed another mishap on Saturday where a two-wheeler rider coming down from a flyover bridge slope could not control the vehicle and met with an accident
In the wake of frequent accidents taking place on a flyover bridge on Shankarsheth Road, a local citizens’ group has now demanded that the said stretch be designated as an ‘accident-prone zone’.
On a daily basis, thousands of passersby ply the congested route risking their lives owing to traffic mismanagement.
The road witnessed another mishap on Saturday where a two-wheeler rider coming down from a flyover bridge slope could not control the vehicle and met with an accident.
Considering the chaos, some drivers continue to brave the junction, while many others take alternate routes to avoid the regular snarls.
Ashutosh Kendre, a local resident said, “I travel from this flyover bridge daily and also use the service road under the bridge. Commuting on the road has become risky, especially for two-wheelers. There are no speed breakers or any other arrangements to control the vehicle speed at the end of the flyover bridge.”
Reacting to the traffic situation near the bridge, Atul Jain, a member of the local resident’s group rued the fact that the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) Road department has failed to make safety arrangements near the chronic accident spot.
“We have repeatedly complained about the road safety issue on this specific stretch to the civic body and Pune traffic police department. The said road has many illegal punctures in the divider in front of Kumar Pacific Mall, which reduces traffic pace and makes it tricky for commuters to manoeuvre through the congestion. Additionally, the steep slope on the flyover needs speed limit signage.”
Considering the frequency of mishaps on the stretch, the citizen’s forum has requested that the stretch be designated as an accident-prone road and that appropriate steps be taken by the authorities.
The flyover is a major road that connects Swargate to Pune Camp and other eastern suburbs like Fatima Nagar, Hadapsar and Kondhwa. As a result, thousands of vehicles pass through this stretch every day. On weekends, there is also a large crowd at the mall, which is located next to the flyover bridge.
Commenting on the issue, a senior traffic police official on condition of anonymity said the concerned department will soon come up with measures to tackle the issue.
“The traffic police department, along with PMC officials, will soon visit the stretch and take action. We will review this specific stretch in the coming week, and whatever preventive measures need to be taken will be carried out at the earliest,” he said.
