Pune is growing rapidly with the area of ​​the city doubling after the merger of nearby villages. Pune’s population is growing rapidly with an unprecedented influx of people. Now the city has also taken a leap of construction. However, the infrastructure required to sustain such growth lags far behind in all critical sectors such as water, power, sewage, sewage, roads, transport, health, education, public facilities, etc.
Traffic congestion has now become a major problem in Pune, severely affecting mobility which is the primary need of people. Apart from the serious issue of increasing air, noise and thermal pollution due to vehicles, the number of accidents and deaths on the roads of Pune is also increasing. Infrastructure for pedestrians, cyclists and bus passengers has been neglected by giving priority to vehicle-centric measures. Conditions have become life-threatening for this most vulnerable segment of road users. Senior citizens, the disabled, those with special needs, women and children are the most affected.
Thus the situation in Pune is gradually going from bad to worse and declining year 2024 is no exception. So what needs to be done to improve the situation?
Construction Regulation
Given a very high FSI (floor-space index), high-rise residential buildings, commercial complexes etc. are rising in various parts of the city, on narrow roads and even in already congested areas. A higher FSI is also available for metro corridors, ostensibly to densify the corridors to improve ridership. The construction boom is seen as an attractive source of revenue by the PMC to raise additional funds through development charges, TDR sales, premium FSI, property tax etc. Ignoring the fact that if such growth continues unabated, it will lead to destruction. the city
The minimum consideration required before granting construction permission in any area is to check and ensure the adequacy of its capacity and infrastructure:
(a) Whether the area can sustain the increased population density and commercial activities due to the large movement of people and vehicles in the area.
(b) Whether the existing infrastructure for public utility services and roads will be adequate for the acute needs after extensive development at high FSI.
(c) If not, whether timely growth of infrastructure is practicable considering various constraints like land, funds and all other necessary resources.
Traffic jam solution
There is no doubt that the road infrastructure needs to be expanded as the city grows. However, before considering major expansion or construction of new facilities, it is necessary to implement all possible measures for more efficient use of existing transport infrastructure.
The real problem here is the misconception of the PMC that the problem of traffic jams can be easily solved only by increasing the road capacity. Hence, PMC’s focus is always on implementing measures like road widening, construction of new roads, flyovers etc. only. However, time and time again it has been proven that such solutions are never enough as the growth of vehicles is accelerating. Rate. Furthermore, the availability of additional road capacity inevitably increases traffic levels. Thus, the traffic situation in the city is deteriorating day by day even though the PMC has been taking such measures continuously for years.
The fact is that lack of adequate, efficient and reliable public transport system and safe non-motorized transport facilities are pushing people to use their own cars and two wheelers. The only proven sustainable solution to the traffic congestion problem is to provide a good quality public transport system – a network of buses, BRT (Bus Rapid Transit), Metro with feeder bus services, and multi-modal terminals for convenient interchange. Adequate vehicle parking facilities are required at terminals and intermediate stations. Safe, adequate and usable facilities for pedestrians and cyclists need to exist throughout the city — sidewalks, street crossings, cycle tracks. Pedestrianization should also be implemented in the main city areas. The focus should be on the movement of people and not on vehicles.
PMC prepared ‘Comprehensive Mobility Plan’ in 2008. Then PMC adopted ‘Pedestrian Policy’ and ‘Urban Street Design Guidelines’ in 2016 and ‘Cycle Plan’ in 2017. Unfortunately, all these excellent policies, plans and guidelines are largely confined to paper. It needs to be implemented in the city without further delay.
It is important that the above mentioned tasks should not be treated in isolation but an integrated systems approach should be adopted. All such measures will make it possible for people to travel comfortably without using their own vehicles. Thus, as the number of vehicles on the road gradually decreases, the problem of traffic jams and pollution will also gradually be solved.
Road infrastructure issues
Road construction should be of good quality with adequate lifespan as per standards. However, this is not the case in Pune and seems to deteriorate prematurely, for example potholes appear on tar roads and cracks develop on concrete roads less than a year after construction. The roads of Pune have been destroyed by just a few days of rain. Another problem is that urban roads are dug up for various reasons and not restored to their original condition over an unnecessarily long period of time.
Regular and timely maintenance of road infrastructure (road surface, road dividers, speed breakers, footpaths, road markings, signage, signals, street lights etc.) is required, but not done by PMC.
This year, during the rainy season, there was a big flood in the city and even the roads turned into rivers. It’s clear that the entire stormwater drainage system on city streets is broken—badly designed, inaccurate, inadequate, and poorly maintained. A thorough investigation by an expert agency and complete repair is required to avoid such dangerous situations in the future.
All such problems not only cause inconvenience to the public but also cause various safety risks and fatal accidents for the road users. Appropriate policies are needed for road construction and maintenance.
About eight years ago, the PMC Commissioner constituted a ‘Road Development and Road Maintenance Committee’ to study and suggest the problems to be faced. The committee submitted a detailed report with recommendations in 2016, but the PMC has not implemented it. It is necessary to implement the recommendations of the expert committee to solve the problem of dilapidated roads in Pune.
Road safety
It is also a fact that the city’s faulty road infrastructure is a major cause of unsafe road conditions and accidents. The basic problem is that most of the roads and junctions in Pune are not designed, but seem to be haphazardly developed. PMC should strictly follow its own ‘Urban Road Design Guidelines’ and IRC norms in this matter.
Another problem is that speeding vehicles create an unsafe environment on the roads. I proposed ‘Traffic Calming Policy with Guidelines’ to PMC in 2021. However, there was no response from the PMC on the matter. The city’s road infrastructure needs to incorporate appropriate traffic calming measures to limit vehicle speeds to desirable lows.
conclusion
With the crazy growth that Pune is experiencing, the existing infrastructure is under a lot of stress and is rapidly crumbling. Things are really going out of hand and Pune is now staring at a major infrastructure crisis. It is a wake-up call for all to take immediate stock of the dire situation and implement sensible remedial measures before it is too late.
Prashant Inamdar is a civic and transport expert and coordinator, Pedestrians First
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