Traffic diversion woes

Unsafe pedestrian crossing at Good Luck junction : The pedestrian subway is supposedly meant for the pedestrians. However no thought has been given for pedestrian safety while starting subway work. The central traffic channeliser island with pedestrian refuge and walkway has been demolished for construction of subway. PMC/ traffic police have however not provided any alternative arrangement for traffic channelizing and refuges for safe pedestrian road crossing. Thus crossing the road has now become very dangerous for pedestrians. Moreover with traffic holdups and disruption due to subway work,the situation is bound to aggravate further.

Problematic traffic diversion: We are of the opinion that while giving permission for start of subway work,proper thought has not been given to traffic diversion. Now that a large pit has been dug up at Good Luck corner,left turn to Bhandarkar road is proposed to be closed. Vehicles from Khandujibaba chowk towards Bhandarkar road have been asked to proceed via Deccan Gymkhana lane or Champion Sports shop lane. Similarly vehicles coming from JM road side will have to turn in to the Champion Sports shop lane for proceeding to Bhandarkar road. This will mean abrupt cross movement of traffic from Garware bridge to the lane. This traffic from Khandujibaba chowk and JM road side turning left in to the small lanes is bound to cause frequent traffic hold ups for the through traffic slowing it down. There will also be unsafe road conditions generated. The road hump of Garware subway (immediately behind) will aggravate the situation and there is likely to be a cascading effect and traffic disruption right up to Khandujibaba junction. Similar serious problems of traffic diversion will be faced as the subway work progresses.

Unsafe conditions in bylanes : Another aspect to be noted is that the lanes and bylanes are not capable of handling the diverted traffic and would get clogged. Moreover it being totally a residential area,this traffic would become a serious threat to life for residents,apart from excessive air and noise pollution. It is hence not appropriate to divert traffic through such lanes.

Prashant Inamdar
Convenor
Pedestrians First

Pedestrians’ nightmare
Road bridges are the life-line of a city,especially when there are rivers cutting across the heart of the city. They provide a vital link in the smooth flow of traffic,both pedestrians and vehicular.
But if such road bridges are ill-designed and ill-maintained and accident prone,as far as the upkeep of the approach roads are concerned,it can only be called “abridged versions,” with no concern for pedestrians.
In fact,this is possibly why pedestrians in our city are ‘ children of a lesser God,if not no God’. A classic case of this can be seen in the road bridge connecting Aundh and Aundh Hospital Road,just after RMZ Office complex and the new shoping cntre,from the Aundh side,and at the Octroi Post intersection on the Aundh Hospital Road. If one drives or walks through this road bridge from the Aundh side ,during night-time,the following will be the scenario,just after the shopping complex.
[1 A stretch of ill-lit road,broken steel railings bent on one side,thick willdplants with sharp edges,garbage strewn all over,and dangerous slope towards the river bed with loose soil.
[2 Dimly-lit actual road bridge with sufficient road width only for passing of vehicles,with no provision for pedestrians whatsoever.
[3 Another stretch after the bridge,wider but with al the problems of as mentioned earlier.
This is a busy traffic zone with enormous company buses,Mumbai buses,trucks,school buses,both two and four wheeler traffic from South to the North of the city.Once the widening of Aundh-Ravet section will be over,the work of which is going on at frentic speed,how much the traffic will increase is anybody’s guess.
But if the vital link is in such bad condition,it is will only create chaotic situations. Especially during night-time,with such a complex inadequate lighting,from dim/dip type (like in a vehicle),it is highly dangerous and unsafe for pedestrians,who are totally isolated and exposed.

K Venkatesan
Aundh