Construction Conundrum: Pune traffic police list 3 key areas of concern amid development boom in and around city

Unplanned road infrastructure

The first direct concern voiced by the traffic police is the sharp rise in vehicular traffic to a particular area after that area witnesses a construction surge, especially when the development is unplanned.

A police officer who has served in multiple traffic divisions in Pune said, “We hardly see the road infrastructure keeping pace with the kind of construction activity that takes place in an area. For example, the Baner-Pashan link road, which connects two rapidly growing suburbs, has reached its full capacity. But residential and commercial buildings continue to come up, putting even more pressure on this road.”

“It faces heavy traffic jams during peak hours and the situation is only going to get worse. This is the case with dozens of roads that link growing areas of the city,” he added.

Traffic officials have said that necessary widening is not done in roads in many areas, new access points are not created, and there is no coordinated road planning to accommodate this growth. “As a result, critical intersections become bottlenecks, and traffic flow is disrupted. In many places, many new buildings come up, but old access roads continue to take up its burden,” the officer said.

Parking trouble, encroachments and access issues

An officer in charge of a traffic division in Pune said parking spaces and encroachments are other major concerns. “Many developers fail to account for sufficient parking, so residents and visitors resort to parking on roadsides or at illegal spots, narrowing carriage space and creating further congestion. With fresh construction, new encroachments like illegal shops, carts, eateries also come up in many areas, creating bottlenecks even as the traffic police struggle to function with with its present strength of officers and personnel,” he said.

“There is an increasing number of buildings and commercial hubs in already densely populated areas. If this development is unplanned, it leads to choke points, preventing access to emergency vehicles like ambulances and fire engines. The inability to clear traffic for emergency responders poses a threat to public safety. Unfortunately, these issues are only highlighted when there are emergencies,” said another traffic police official in Pimpri Chinchwad.

Need for better public transport

Manoj Patil, Additional Commissioner of Police, Pune, said the city’s economic growth is bound to be accompanied by a “corresponding growth in population, including that by migration and the related need for living spaces and commercial establishments. However, it is of utmost importance to strengthen public transport systems and related feeder transport mechanisms from developing areas.”

He said the use of personal cars must be reduced simultaneously. “It is done by encouraging the use of buses, Metro, and shared mobility options. The use of private vehicles can be discouraged by levying higher parking charges and implementing policies like congestion pricing. Newer routes of public transport should be developed alongside new residential and commercial projects,” he added.

“It is very important that we balance urban development with sustainable mobility. Pune’s growth must not come at the cost of traffic blocks or deterioration in mobility. Planners must prioritise Transit-Oriented Development (TOD), which focuses on creating dense, mixed-use neighbourhoods around transit hubs. This approach encourages people to use public transport rather than personal vehicles, reducing congestion and contributing to more efficient traffic management,” the additional commissioner said.