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This is an archive article published on September 5, 2009
Aurora Towers to Dorabjees: Small stretch,big pain
Pune Camp area might be a shoppers' paradise,but is an unending nightmare for vehicular traffic. On every road,every chowk and every stretch...
Written by MANOJ MORE
Pune | September 5, 2009 01:24 AM IST
5 min read
5 min read
Pune Camp area might be a shoppers’ paradise,but is an unending nightmare for vehicular traffic. On every road,every chowk and every stretch,you hit a roadblock. A roadblock that probably makes many swear not to return,but they do return calling it an “unavoidable pain.” Indiscriminately parked autorickshaws,blatant double parkings by private vehicles,absence of adequate parking space and spectators called traffic constables. Significantly,the term “basement parking” is conspicuously missing from the dictionary of several buildings,say civic activists.
As you step into the jurisdiction of the Pune Cantonment Board,the very first headache begins right at Dorabjee chowk — the entry point of Camp area. From the Dorabjee’s to the Ambedkar statue,the road could be a few hundred metres. But this is one stretch which tests the patience of two-wheeler riders and motorists,especially during peak morning hours and in the evening hours. From Hotel Aurora Towers to West End theatre,a maze of autorickshaws can be found parked through the day and night. They call it their autorickshaw stand which actually stands out for impeding the smooth flow of traffic on the already cluttered road. Apart from those parked at the stand,there are other autorickshaws which take a halt to drop passengers at the hotel or the West End theatre. The way they take halt ensures that the traffic coming from behind is affected for sure. They know it,yet they do it. A few steps further,there is a PMPML bus stop. The passengers stand right on a major portion of the road. So the buses take halt in such a way that only two feet of the road is left for other vehicles to pass. Two-wheeler riders try to pass from left and right of bus,adding to the chaos.
Every day at least one kulfiwallah,two peroowallahs,two fruit vendors plant themselves ahead of vehicles parked. Here,the crowd keeps coming from the narrow openings of the two-wheeler parking. In front of the West End theatre,half an hour before the show,a big crowd stands still,occupying the footpath as well as the road portion. Near the coffee shop and Dorabjee’s,through the day there are vehicles parked right under the no parking board. “The owners of these vehicles try to act smart by asking their drivers to keep sitting on the vehicle till they return,” says Shyam Sahani,a civic activist.
Compounding the situation is the two-wheeler parking. On the entire stretch,two-wheelers move in and out of the parking lots thereby affecting the traffic flow. Then there are three societies on the stretch from where the residents move in and out of their vehicles. On the opposite side,the malls have increased the traffic density. As vehicles enter the camp area,they move in slow pace to locate a parking area or enter the basement of the mall thereby ensuring a crawl.
But who is responsible for the jam and crawl on the stretch ? Sahani,who has been crusading against traffic mess in Camp area for years,says,”All fingers point at the traffic police. The traffic police should understand that their duty is not at place — near the statue. The constables should be patrolling the entire stretch either on foot or two-wheelers,” he says. Traffic manning,says Sahani,is what is required. “Why are the PMPML buses not halting right in front of the bus stop? Why do people stand on the road? Why are the autorickshaws taking halt on the road?,” he asks. Sahani says at Dadar station,you will find only one constable controlling hundreds of taxis and other vehicles.
Suggesting that Dastur Meher Road till the garden should be used for four-wheeler parking,Sahani said,”If the four-wheeler from whom there is little parking space are provided proper space on Dastur Meher Road,the chaos will ease on Ambedkar Road. The footpath width on Dastur Road should be reduced on one side,the foothpath should actually be removed to make way for four-wheeler parking.” Sahani says he does not understand the purpose of allowing PMPML buses to use the jammed M G Road. “There are two parallel roads to M G Road. Why are they not kept free from traffic and the crowded M G Road is put under further pressure?,” he asks.
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