Traffic woes plague several junctions in Pune, travel time doubles
The upcoming Ganesh festivals, with the addition of numerous pandals, are expected to exacerbate the situation
The city’s traffic congestion has worsened in recent weeks, with even roads previously less affected now experiencing severe jams. Major roads like Satara Road, Sinhgad Road, Bund Garden Road, Katraj-Kondhwa Road, and Kalyaninagar Road have seen travel times double due to a combination of factors, including faulty Intelligent Traffic Management Systems (ITMS), ongoing construction, and potholes.
The upcoming Ganesh festivals, with the addition of numerous pandals, are expected to exacerbate the situation.
For the past three weeks, Amey Deshpande, a resident of Sahakarnagar and an IT engineer working in Kharadi, said, “I commute daily from Sahakarnagar to Kharadi where I work. These days I return home by 10pm, which used to be 8pm after leaving the office at 7pm.”
Anil Vaidya from Satara Road reported unprecedented congestion in his area. Satish Walke from Parvati mentioned increased traffic on alternative routes due to ongoing work on Sinhgad Road, which is leading to severe jams at Neelayam Chowk.
Sunita Shah from Katraj-Kondhwa Road noted that potholes are worsening the already heavy traffic. Sujata Sheth from Bund Garden Road highlighted the difficulties caused by the closure of the Sadhu Vaswani flyover, impacting traffic flow throughout Kalyaninagar and Koregaon Park.
Meanwhile, Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) and the traffic police are at odds over the root causes of the problem. Traffic police attribute the jams to potholes, heavy rain, and road encroachments. In contrast, PMC officials argue that while potholes and roadwork are valid concerns, many city roads in good condition are also experiencing congestion.
Aniruddha Pawaskar, head of PMC’s road department, acknowledged the city’s traffic problems, attributing them to potholes, road encroachments, and malfunctioning traffic signals.
“The ongoing development works have exacerbated the pothole issue and PMC is undertaking efforts to address this problem,” he said.
Amol Zende, DCP (traffic), said, “The traffic issue is being caused because of rising number of encroachments and number of vehicles plying on the city roads. Also, the potholes and incomplete roads have also complicated the situation further leading to severe traffic jams and bottlenecks across the city. We have been closely co-ordinating with PMC so that the traffic situation improves significantly. However, incessant rains are causing serious issues for traffic management but still our men are doing their best to ensure that citizens get to their destinations at the earliest by streamlining traffic.”
Harshad Abhyankar from the Save Pune Traffic Movement, criticised policymakers for failing to manage the city’s traffic.
“The weakening of public transport options, such as buses, and the focus on road widening and flyovers have led to increased reliance on private vehicles,” he said. Abhyankar emphasised that despite the planned Metro services, they are insufficient on their own to address the city’s transport needs.
Issues with ATMS
The Adaptive Traffic Management System (ATMS), installed with an investment of ₹150 crore from Pune Smart City, has failed to meet expectations. Designed to optimise traffic signals using in-built cameras, the system has been plagued by issues and political interference. Despite requests for improvements from municipal officers, progress has stalled due to political pressure.
The current traffic situation in Pune reflects broader systemic issues that need urgent attention from both municipal authorities and traffic management agencies.