Pedestrians step forward with a lament…

While the traffic police are busy inspecting the newly implemented one-way rule on F C Road and J M Road,traffic experts have drawn attention to a number of problems that pedestrians face like the absence of road-crossing facility for them on these roads,among other things.

Chairman and managing trustee of Rajshree Parmar Memorial Foundation Chandmal Parmar said,”On the one hand,the traffic police are endeavouring to keep traffic snarls at bay by converting F C Road and J M Road into one ways,on the other,no attention is being paid to the problems faced by pedestrians on these roads. There is an absence of proper facility which would help people cross roads in a safe and secured manner,” Parmar said. “Pune is hailed as the seventh metropolitan city in the country today. However,the city lacks good quality pavements. In all,only 15 to 20 per cent of city roads have footpaths. Where there are footpaths,there is a want of metal railings along the footpaths,which would save pedestrians from accidents.” He said nearly all the footpaths in the city have encroachments like stalls,milk kiosks,pan-shops,vendors,which the PMC should clear up quickly.

“As far as the underpasses are concerned,they should be constructed in user-friendly way like those near the Pune railway station and district collector’s office,where roads have been elevated to some extent to create space underneath. Nowhere else in the world,foot-over-bridges are constructed for pedestrians. But in Pune they are present more for facilitating the advertisers than pedestrians,” Parmar said.