Pune to have its first traffic garden

Pune: The Pune traffic police in collaboration with the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) will be building a traffic garden near Bremen chowk aimed at educating school

Pune: The Pune traffic police in collaboration with the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) will be building a traffic garden near Bremen chowk aimed at educating school students, parents and citizens about traffic rules and safety. Funds have been pledged from the corpus of the road department of civic body for the estimated Rs 3-crore project.

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According to Rahul Srirame, deputy commissioner of police (traffic), around 60 per cent work of the traffic garden has been completed and the remaining is likely to over in the next few days. “The traffic garden is a rich repository of traffic knowledge where prototypes and replicas of roads, signals, traffic jams and all aspects of traffic management and rules for children are being incorporated. The place will also have pictures and animated replicas of violators being booked for breaking traffic rules,” said Srirame.

Dinkar Gojare, PMC executive engineer of road department, said that spread over one acre, the garden is developed on the concept where children can imbibe traffic rules.

“It is the first garden of its kind in Maharashtra. We have surveyed school children and spoken to principals who have strongly backed our project. Children from 4 years to 12 years are being targeted to make them better citizens of tomorrow,” said Gojare.

According to the traffic department, the garden replicas which will also include miniature models to educate children on various traffic rules, emergency services and tips on road safety through lane markings, zebra crossings, road signs which state no entry, crossings, turnings and other traffic safety sings.

“It is essential that every child must know the importance of traffic rules and safe driving. Children and parents must also be educated of the safety norms to be strictly followed while driving or walking on the road, obeying traffic signals and abiding by the parking rules. The garden will play a crucial role in bringing all the traffic safety information at one place and serve as a hub of traffic literacy for Puneites,” he said.

The future additions to the garden include setting up of miniature models of educational institutes, fire brigade, petrol pumps and hospitals and institutes of public importance. The traffic department has mooted the idea of free entrance to the garden citing traffic education and literacy as the motive behind starting the initiative. The department has also communicated in writing to the PMC to start more such initiatives in open spaces across the city to educate citizens and school children.

Highlights

Prototypes and replicas of roads

Signals

Traffic jams

Traffic management system

The place has pictures and animated replicas of violators being booked for breaking traffic rules

Future plans

LCD displays

Demonstrations

Slide shows, workshops, seminars, exhibitions, street plays

Social media and online education platform

Setting up of simulated audio-visual centre where students can learn driving a four and two-wheeler

Training users to manoeuvre traffic virtually

Driving skills enhancement programmes