Double parking menace has Pune’s MG road in a (permanent?) jam

Activists blame faulty civic planning and lack of foresight by Pune Cantonment Board for traffic congestion

MG road is now a traffic disaster. The tailback of vehicles affects vehicular movement on East street, and all roads leading to and from this prime shopping street in Camp (Pune Cantonment).

Double parking on MG road (as seen in pictures above and below) is seen as a major problem for shopkeepers, shoppers and commuters. (Sanket Wankhade/HT Photo)

The villain? As identified by an HT spot visit and the view of Cantonment officials and store owners on MG road is, double parking.

The traffic police claim they are doing their best to enforce the law, while activists blame faulty civic planning and lack of foresight by the administration responsible, the Pune Cantonment Board.

“At least 50 cases involving jammers are registered every day. We want to bring about traffic and road discipline in the area,” said Maya Devre, police inspector and Cantonment traffic division in charge.

The peak hours for congestion on the two-kilometre stretch starting from near to Pul gate market to the Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar statue is between 11 am and 1 pm, and between 5.30pm and 10 pm.

Citizens in the jam

Manjett Singh Virdi, businessman, said, “Parking on MG road has become a major problem for shopkeepers. Senior citizens are finding it difficult to wade through the double parking and visit the shops. Double parking is creating bottleneck at various places. The traffic police and the Cantonment board must come up with a people-centric solution to address the double parking issue on MG Road.”

Aquib Shaikh, a hawker who has his stall near Bata chowk said, “ Double parking is rampant but the police and administration can do little as there is no space left in the Cantonment area. Can’t imagine how the area will be in the next few years?”

Meghna Kulkarni, a resident of Wanowrie said, “ If there is no space on the road to park, so where do we go. It is the duty of the administration to plan well in advance so that cities don’t get choked.”

The problem?

Activist Naresh Bhingardive claims that the situation has worsened as parking spaces of buildings on M G road are being illegally utilized for commercial purposes. “The parking lots which were there earlier are now commercial spaces. There is no place for four-wheelers to park and this is compounding the issue. Blaming the police department for the chaos is definitely not the answer,” he said.

Netraprakash Bhog, advocate and Cantonment-based civic activist, said that the traffic has become unmanageable on MG road. “There is a need for the Pune Cantonment board to rethink its traffic management strategy on MG road,” he said.

The solution?

When questioned about the situation D N Yadav, chief executive officer, Pune Cantonment Board (PCB) said that it is in the process of identifying a plan to decongest the area.

“We want to develop multi-level parking across the Pune Cantonment, keeping in mind the next 25 years. Rapid modernisation is showing its effects on the society. There is a need for long-term planning. So, we are taking futuristic steps in this regard,” he said.