With Diwali festivities on the horizon and an upsurge in shoppers, the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has made an earnest plea to the traffic police, seeking restrictions on the movement of heavy vehicles during peak morning and evening hours in vital parts of the city.
Specifically, PMC has proposed the prohibition of heavy vehicles during rush hours on Katraj Kondhwa Road to alleviate congestion. Similarly, measures have been suggested for Mundhwa Road, and due to the influx of celebratory shoppers, vehicle traffic has already been restricted in select zones of Shivaji and Laxmi Road.
Municipal authorities are stressing the need to divert heavy vehicles, such as trucks and dumpers, away from the city’s roadways to ensure the smooth flow of smaller vehicles. Regular commuters have been grappling with traffic issues stemming from the ongoing construction boom in the city.
Sinhagad Road, for instance, has witnessed escalating traffic woes, primarily due to the construction of an ongoing flyover. To alleviate congestion, a temporary restriction has been proposed on heavy vehicle traffic along routes including Tilak Road, Sinhagad Road, Laxmi Road, Swargate, and parts of the Deccan Gymkhana area.
City roads are grappling with construction-related congestion, which is further exacerbated by the surge in shopping activity leading up to Diwali. Commuters are bracing themselves for increasingly challenging conditions in the coming days. The notion of banning heavy vehicles on critical routes, however, poses sustainability concerns.
To manage the situation effectively, the traffic police are deploying additional personnel as needed and enhancing surveillance at key intersections. Consequences await drivers who impede traffic flow by inappropriately parking their vehicles on the roads.
