In the bustling old city of Pune, traffic rule violations have reached alarming levels, posing an increased risk of accidents and fatalities. The narrow roads, coupled with limited space, have long been a source of vehicular congestion in the area. However, the situation has worsened with drivers openly flouting traffic laws, leading to a surge in road safety concerns.
A recent tragic incident highlighted the dire consequences of this lack of road discipline when a student lost his life in an accident on Shivaji Road. Riding his scooter towards Swargate from Budhwar Chowk, the student collided with a scooter going in the wrong direction, resulting in a fatal accident involving a dumper truck.
The absence of proper footpaths or encroachments on pavements forces pedestrians, including thousands of students, tourists, shoppers, and devotees visiting various temples, to walk on narrow roads, exacerbating the risk of accidents.
Despite regulations prohibiting heavy vehicles on small roads like Shivaji Road between 6 am and 11 pm, trucks, buses, and other large vehicles, both private and public, continue to be a major cause of traffic jams. Pune Traffic Police have been actively penalizing heavy vehicle operators flouting these orders, but the problem persists.
A Pune Traffic Police officer revealed that the complex network connecting Shivaji Road and Bajirao Road, featuring multiple no-entry and one-way points, adds to the confusion. Two-wheeler riders are also found to be flouting road rules regularly.
An activist emphasized that the city’s infrastructure lacks deterrents to prevent wrong-side driving, leading to drivers resorting to climbing sidewalks to avoid traffic bottlenecks. Urgent measures are needed to redesign pathways, dividers, and medians to curb such infractions and prevent the tragic consequences often associated with these violations.
