E-Paper
Your space: Heavy vehicles worsen Pune’s traffic mess, say residents
Potholes have dug deep into the traffic chaos already ensuing. Projects like the outer ring road are incessantly delayed. As a result, heavy vehicles are still plying through the city. Our readers tell us the way forward and if banning heavy vehicles between 8 am and 8pm is must...
No heavy vehicles should be allowed within the city limits between 8 am and 8 pm. They should be banned not only during the monsoon, but all year round. Heavy vehicles not only cause traffic jams, but also obstruct other commuters. These heavy vehicles enter the city and the drivers park it anywhere. Thus, parking on public roads further lessens movable width and causes untold trauma and traffic jams. It is a known fact that the Pune regional transport office (RTO) can allot parking stands in the city. While the RTO has allotted parking stands for autorickshaws, they have not provided parking stands for heavy vehicles. The authorities turn a blind eye so that politicians are given opportunities to propose flyovers, bridges and underpass for their monetary benefit. If Pune United Metropolitan Transport Authority (Pumta) has been constituted for the purpose of redressing traffic related problems, then this is one of the first issues to take up.
In fact, 80 per cent of heavy vehicles enter Pune to travel from one city to another. So, Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority (PMRDA) and the state government must prioritise to look at completing the bypass without further delay. When public funds are used for failed projects like Bus Rapid Transport System (BRTS) and High Capacity Mass Transit Route (HCMTR), why cannot authorities look at projects that are existing instead of coming up with new ones. It is time for the residents to wake up and demand actual liveability standards if we are aspiring to be a smart city.
Qaneez Sukhrani
PMPML buses create major hindrance
In order to decongest traffic on major roads in Pune, the civic authorities must ban the movement of heavy goods vehicles (with capacity over three tonnes) during peak hours. These vehicles make travelling difficult especially in the mornings when one has to reach office. I am not saying that there is traffic jam every single day because of heavy vehicles only. Every day, I have to cross Kothrud bus depot to reach my workplace and the PMPML buses create a major hindrance. I know these buses are important, but that does not mean they can stop anywhere without giving indication, especially when the roads are narrow. Last week, a man had parked a heavy vehicle on a public road and was busy on his phone, while his truck took up 3/4th of the already narrow road. The resulting chaos did not bother him one bit. What’s worse is that the traffic police did not ask him to park his vehicle elsewhere.
Raksha Kulkarni
Banning heavy vehicles for 12 hours is wrong
Heavy vehicles should be banned as it slows down the existing traffic. However, banning them from 8 am to 8 pm is not justified. Because of the 12-hour ban, these heavy vehicles will halt on the outskirts of the city and it will become chaotic for the locals who reside there. So, heavy vehicles should be banned from 8 am to 12 noon and 5 pm to 8 pm. As these vehicles are travelling to different states, banning them for 12 hours in not fair. Every driver should adhere to the rules as not following the lane, speeding and overtaking breaks the rhythm of traffic.
Maya Bhatkar
One heavy vehicle could jam the road
Bad drivers make for bad traffic. One heavy vehicle is enough to jam an entire road. When these vehicles enter the city in the morning, they are speeding. I have to pass through Ahmednagar road to reach office. During peak hours, I see these luxury buses plying on the main road. These vehicles take up most of the road width and sometimes the entire three-lane stretch. What is worse is that these buses park on the highway taking up an entire lane. They do not give an indicator before starting the vehicle, thus causing problem for vehicles who follow these multi-wheelers. This is scary. The commuters are only left with a service road to travel as the BRTS route and metro work take up the other space on the road. Hence, heavy vehicles should be banned from 8 am to 8 pm.
Sayali Shinde
Lane-cutting by heavy vehicles create traffic snarls
I generally ride a two-wheeler, but since it was raining last week, I decided to take a cab to go to Baner form Hadapsar. The Google Maps said that the road through Koregaon Park had traffic so we went through Cantonment area and then to Shivajinagar. I had boarded the cab at 5.07pm. By the time I reached Baner, it was 6:23pm. This was because of lane-cutting by heavy vehicles. One can recover from a lane cutting done by a car, but when buses, trucks and tempos do that, the traffic turns chaotic. There is no way of knowing how long it may take for traffic to move smoothly. To reach the place where I was going, I had to cross the highway as well as small lanes. Bigger vehicles affect traffic.
Vaishnavi Bhade
Banning office vehicles will make commuting difficult
I travel in a bus provided by my company. I have to travel from Hadapsar to Bhosari every day. Most employees in the company have to travel by bus as it is the only means of transport provided by the company. Heavy vehicles cause issues if the drivers do not follow the rules. Banning heavy vehicles will make it difficult for me and many other employees as some of our shifts end either in the morning or in the evening peak hours. It definitely causes issues if the drivers do not follow rules. But the vehicle is means of travelling for a major part of our workforce. It will make my life difficult if heavy vehicles are banned during peak hours as some part of our shift ends in either the morning or evening peak traffic hours. Driving a car or riding a two-wheeler every day to work is not feasible for me and many others who work with me.
Shivaji Shinde
EXPERT SPEAK
Residents must report traffic violations to us
Heavy vehicles are not allowed in the city between 8am and 11pm, but there are two issues related to it. One type is the goods carrier vehicles and the other is luxury buses. The luxury bus operators association have approached the Bombay High Court and brought a stay on the order. Then there are other kind of heavy vehicles which ply without permission. These include tankers of petrol, diesel and water, garbage collection trucks and concrete mixers. The metro authorities have approached us to allow their vehicles in the city. With the number of vehicles in the city, it becomes very difficult to filter out which ones carry a permit and which do not. There can be instances of a bus breakdown as well. The residents can always approach us through WhatsApp or call our control room to report traffic rule violations.
Pankaj Deshmukh, deputy commissioner of Pune police (traffic)
Traffic police has final say in the rule
As per the request of the police, the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) had banned heavy vehicles in 2002. However, the rule has not been followed every time. Earlier, the roads were narrow and hence heavy vehicles caused traffic snarls. Now, the roads are widened, yet there are traffic snarls. Instead of banning the vehicles for 12 hours, they should be banned from entering a specific area. The PMC has given the rights to the traffic police to form a rule regarding heavy vehicles. The implementation agency is the traffic police, if they suggest banning heavy vehicles in certain areas, then PMC will support it.
Srinivas Bonala, additional city engineer and PMC traffic planner