Polls and issues: Gridlocked Pune and why flyovers are not the answer

Sachin Jadhav, a 28-year-old chartered accountant, identifies the mechanism driving the crisis. “As demand for mobility increased, so did the number of vehicles. But our roads have not grown. And when every office closes at the same hour, thousands of workers hit the streets simultaneously. This chaos needs urgent control,” he says.

How solutions backfired

At the heart of Pune’s traffic jam fest sits a fundamental misunderstanding of how cities move. Harshad Abhyankar, director of Save Pune Traffic Movement, points to the Comprehensive Mobility Plan undertaken by the Pune Municipal Corporation to ease traffic congestion.

“Any measure that supports a certain mode of transport increases that mode of transport,” he explains. Faced with this issue, planners reached for the easiest answer: the flyover. However, Abhyankar explains the paradox, “Flyovers don’t reduce congestion, they merely relocate it to new heights. The bottlenecks have not disappeared; they have multiplied.”

The real culprit, according to Ranjit Gadgil, programme director at NGO Parisar, is a fundamental misunderstanding of urban mobility itself. “Flyovers in a city like Pune demolish resources meant for buses, pedestrians, and cyclists. They eat up the budget, monopolise the space, and smooth the path for private vehicle drivers. So, the traffic that was supposed to disappear simply multiplies elsewhere,” he says.

Talking about the anticipated shift from private to public transport, Abhyankar flags the real reason. “There are last-mile issues: how do I reach my destination from the Metro stations? Commuters descend expecting relief, only to discover that the final stretch remains unresolved. No connecting buses or pedestrian-friendly footpaths. So, they summon a cab or resign themselves to driving their private vehicles,” he says, explaining how the promise withered between stations and destinations.

Gadgil highlights the harsh reality of public transport. “Inadequate bus infrastructure, poor stops, and frequent breakdowns make public transport unreliable. All these extra trips turn to private vehicles, thereby increasing the congestion,” he says.

Those who work in the city’s arteries bear the brunt. Kiran Salunkhe, a Blue Dart delivery agent, voices his concern. “We suffer the most. We are supposed to complete 50-60 deliveries in four hours, but traffic forces us to spend six,” he says, watching four-wheelers bulldoze through spaces where they have no right to be, creating hold-ups that consume his time and energy.

Tukaram Naik, a rickshaw driver, finds himself trapped between two masters. “Passengers insist we drive faster since their rent spikes waiting at the signals,” he says.

A return to the basics?

There remains a path forward, says Gadgil, explaining the importance of consciousness against breaking traffic rules amongst Punekars. “Rather than relying on untested, technology-based solutions, we should return to basics where traffic rules are enforced, people are caught, and they are fined,” he adds.

Vaishnavi Khabiya, a 21-year-old fashion design student, has absorbed a lesson that speaks volumes. “Whether or not this problem gets solved, regardless of the rush, we must drive slowly,” she says.

Swasti Jain is an intern with The Indian Express