The absence of pedestrian crossings, lane markings, proper parking space for vehicles and encroachments on pavements has made walking a dangerous proposition.
Like the Jungli Maharaj Road, Fergusson College (FC) Road too continues to be “dread zone” for pedestrians, especially for senior citizens. The absence of pedestrian crossings, lane markings, proper parking space for vehicles and encroachments on pavements has made walking a dangerous proposition.
The promises made by the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) and the Pune traffic police at the time of implementing the one-way system on the road in August 2009, to set up proper infrastructure for safety of pedestrians, are yet to materialise on this 1.6-km stretch (from Good Luck Chowk to Ganeshkhind Road).
The convener of Pedestrians FIRST, Prashant Inamdar, said the implementation of the one-way plan on FC Road was unplanned. “The PMC didn’t make a proper study before implementing the system. There is utter chaos on that road. Due to the speed with which vehicles, including PMPML buses, ply pedestrians are at the receiving end. They have to be extra cautious before crossing that road,’’ he said.
The traffic congestion in front of Hotel Rupali is a common sight every day, especially during peak hours. A college student, Anil Shinde, told DNA it is a frustrating experience for pedestrians to use that road.
“While crossing the road, I have to literally run, lest some vehicle hits me. I have seen elderly persons waiting agonisingly for a long time before crossing the road,’’ he said.
A 70-year-old senior citizen residing in the area, Girish Joshi, questioned why the authorities have failed to make proper pavements on the road. “How can old people like me walk on the pavements dotted by so many stalls? If I want to walk in the night then I would have to go after 11 pm. Or else it is impossible for me to walk on FC Road,’’ he said.
Apparently, the traffic police, after implementing one-way system, had sent four letters between September 8 and October 10 to the PMC requesting for several pedestrian safety measures like larger footpaths, pedestrian crossings every 250 metres, railings for all footpaths and separate bus lanes.
But nothing has been done by the Jawaharlal Nehru national urban renewable mission (JNNURM) cell of the PMC on the issue. It is the responsibility of that cell to set up proper pedestrian infrastructure on the road.
Frustrated by the tardy manner in which the one-way system has been implemented on this road, the members of the traffic advisory committee said henceforth, the traffic police should not suggest any new one-ways to the PMC and the plans that have already been implemented should be reviewed. They also said lanes for buses should be clearly demarcated on main roads.
According to the officer on special duty of JNNURM cell of the PMC, Vinay Deshpande, the civic body has undertaken the work of laying new tiles for the pavements, ashpalting of elevated pedestrian crossing and painting red lines on the road to demarcate pedestrian crossings on FC Road.
“The work of retiling the 3.5-metre-wide footpaths will be over within a week. The work got held up because we were not able to get the right kind of tiles,’’ he added.
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