PMC to widen roads to reduce traffic congestion

PUNE, Maharashtra: For the benefit of the commuters in the city, the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has identified 33 critical spots where road widening could greatly help ease the issue of traffic congestion.

The road department of the PMC joined hands with the police to identify these 33 choke points in city roads as part of the Road Safety Improvement Plan. Recommendations from the citizen and traffic department have been included in the road safety plan.

Speaking about the issue, Dr Rajendra Bhosale, Commissioner, PMC, said that some adjustments will need to be made in the road widening plan as some areas would require redevelopment. The redevelopment includes removing poles, installing additional signals, U-turns, and removing encroachment from the road. He mentioned that reducing the size of footpaths in some places could be useful in some areas.

As part of the road widening exercise, firstly, roads in Koregaon Park, the missing road link between Gangadham and Tullanagar on Baner Sus Board, Ahmednagar Road, Pune-Solapur Road, Wagholi, and Navle Bride points will be improved. The exercise will include fixing proper signage, relocating bus stops, constructing footpaths or concrete dividers and increasing the overall height of the divider, controlling speeding, making proper radii, and clearing road marking, including zebra crossing, will be done to ensure smooth flow of traffic.