Tackling traffic congestion: 25 busy junctions in Pune to undergo a revamp

The civic initiative is based on a survey conducted by the city-based non-governmental organisation (NGO) Parisar with a primary focus on pedestrian safety which both the departments have approved

pune Updated: Feb 12, 2019 14:45 IST

HT Correspondent

Hindustan Times, Pune

Deep Bangala chowk which witnesses traffic congestion during peak hours of the day is among the 25 city chowks which will soon be redesigned. (Ravindra Joshi/HT PHOTO)

Deep Bangala chowk which witnesses chaotic traffic congestion during peak hours of the day is among the 25 city chowks which will soon be redesigned for better traffic management and at the same time ensure pedestrian safety.

Similarly, 24 other chowks in the city at Karve road, Kothrud, Senapati Bapat road and Viman nagar will be redesigned under the joint initiative of Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) and the city traffic police department.

The civic initiative is based on a survey conducted by the city-based non-governmental organisation (NGO) Parisar, along with help from professional experts and architects, who submitted a proposal to the PMC and traffic deputy commissioner police (DCP) about redesigning 25 neighbourhood junctions in the city with a primary focus on pedestrian safety which both the departments have approved.

While the existing Deep Bangala chowk does not follow the urban street guidelines and Indian road congress guidelines, the infrastructure there would be improvised by redesigning the chowk which will have continuous zebra crossing defined turns, reclaimed space for pedestrians along with refugee islands.

Ranjit Gadgil, programme director of Parisar, said, “The civic body has redesigned the Jungli Maharaj road, Fergusson College road and others which focuses on pedestrian safety, however, there are other junctions across the city that lack safety precautions. ”

He added, “There are many small improvisations like the correct placement of zebra crossings, addition of refuge islands for pedestrians in the junction crossings, signs among others, which is needed for the smaller internal roads in the city.”

Aditya Chawande, an architect and urban designer, working with Parisar said, “We believe that by making changes according to the designs, there will be 50 per cent reduction in minor and major accidents.”