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Revised traffic diversion plan on Pune’s Ganeshkhind Road comes into effect from Monday
An earlier traffic diversion plan was implemented in the first week of February although it worsened the situation rather than improving it
Even as previous changes have failed to resolve the dismal traffic situation, Pune Traffic police have yet again revised the diversion plan on Ganeshkhind Road to ease the traffic congestion due to the ongoing Pune Metro line-3 work.
An earlier traffic diversion plan was implemented in the first week of February although it worsened the situation rather than improving it.
As per traffic police officials, the revised plan will come into effect from Monday. The decision was made after Pune police commissioner Amitesh Kumar visited Ganeshkhind Road and pulled up a contractor carrying out the work.
Kumar’s visit came following a directive from the Bombay High Court, which had instructed the Pune Police Commissioner to provide an affidavit detailing the current traffic situation in the city, along with proposed solutions. These instructions were given during a hearing on a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed in 2015, which requested the implementation of modern technology to address traffic issues.
Shashikant Borate, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP Traffic) said, “As per directives of the Police commissioner, we revised the traffic diversion plan to ease traffic problems. Commuters are facing traffic congestion due to metro flyover work. After completing minor road work, we have decided to implement a revised traffic plan from 4 March.”
According to Borate, these measures aim to streamline traffic flow and ensure smoother travel experiences for commuters.
The Pune University junction is the busiest stretch in the city as it handles traffic from Pashan, Baner, Aundh, Ganeshkhind Road, and Senapati Bapat Road. The traffic police estimate that around 3.5 lakh vehicles pass through this junction daily.
Efforts are underway to address the traffic congestion caused by ongoing flyover and metro barricading work at Pune Vidyapeeth Chowk on Ganeshkhind Road. As a result of flyover work construction, the road has narrowed on both sides, leading to traffic jams.
To reduce the congestion, changes have been made to the traffic flow on Ganeshkhind Road effective from March 4, 2024, at noon. Essential service vehicles are temporarily excluded from these changes on an experimental basis.
