Engineers from the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) recently engaged in a day-long interactive workshop aimed at championing safer, more inclusive, and accessible streets for all road users within the Pimpri-Chinchwad City.
In collaboration with the Global Designing Cities Initiative (GDCI), as part of the Bloomberg Philanthropies Initiative for Global Road Safety (BIGRS), PCMC organized this capacity-building workshop. The primary focus of the workshop was to sensitize engineers to the diverse needs of road users and introduce evidence-based solutions to enhance road safety in the city.
The inauguration of the workshop took place last Wednesday, led by Vijay Khorate, Additional Municipal Commissioner, PCMC. The event saw participation from over 60 engineers from the Roads Department of PCMC. Key police officials from the Pimpri Chinchwad City Police, including Bapu Bangar, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Traffic), and Vitthal Kubade, Assistant Commissioner of Police (Traffic), were also present. The workshop was further graced by the presence of Makarand Nikam, City Engineer, and other senior PCMC officials. The GDCI team members, including Ed Lancaster, Senior Program Manager, Lead-BICI, GDCI; Jullietta Jung, Program Manager, BICI, GDCI; and Jaswanth Tej Kasala, Program Manager, GDCI, actively participated in the workshops and site visits.
Shekhar Singh, Municipal Commissioner of PCMC, expressed, “We are committed to making the streets of Pimpri-Chinchwad safer and more accessible to all road users. As Pimpri-Chinchwad continues to grow, implementing globally recognized urban mobility and street design principles here will benefit citizens in the years to come.”
The primary objective of this training was to bolster the capacities of PCMC engineers and support them in executing infrastructure projects that transform streets into public spaces accessible to all individuals. This transformation is accomplished through the implementation of safe and sustainable street designs that prioritize the safety of vulnerable road users, including pedestrians, cyclists, and motorcyclists. The workshop effectively sensitized engineers to the diverse needs of road users and introduced them to evidence-based solutions for enhancing road safety within the city.
Bapu Gaikwad, Executive Engineer of Roads, Traffic & Transportation Planning at PCMC, commented, “The workshop represents a significant step in our ongoing efforts to enhance road safety in Pimpri-Chinchwad. We are pleased to have collaborated with BIGRS and GDCI, as they continue to support us in our mission to create safer streets, with a particular focus on protecting the most vulnerable road users.”
