As Pune prepares for its municipal corporation elections on January 15, the city remains paralysed by a chronic traffic crisis. For residents like 65-year-old retired clerk Rajendra Patwardhan from Sadashiv Peth, even a simple task like crossing the road has become a frightening ordeal. The city's footpaths are choked with encroachments, and the air is thick with pollution, forcing many, including senior citizen Harivallabh Joshi, to wear masks just to breathe.
The Anatomy of a Gridlock
The core of the problem, according to urban mobility experts, is a fundamental misunderstanding of how cities function. Sachin Jadhav, a 28-year-old chartered accountant, pinpoints the mechanism: a massive increase in vehicles without a corresponding expansion in road infrastructure, compounded by thousands of office workers hitting the streets simultaneously at peak hours. This daily convergence creates the perfect storm for endless traffic jams.
In response to the growing crisis, the Pune Municipal Corporation initiated a Comprehensive Mobility Plan. However, Harshad Abhyankar, director of the NGO Save Pune Traffic Movement, explains a critical flaw in the approach. "Any measure that supports a certain mode of transport increases that mode of transport," he states. Planners initially turned to what seemed like the easiest solution: building flyovers.
How Flyovers Backfired and Multiplied Problems
This solution, however, created a new set of issues. Abhyankar highlights the paradox: "Flyovers don't reduce congestion, they merely relocate it to new heights." The bottlenecks did not disappear; they simply moved and multiplied. Ranjit Gadgil, programme director at the NGO Parisar, calls this a fundamental error in understanding urban mobility.
"Flyovers in a city like Pune demolish resources meant for buses, pedestrians, and cyclists," Gadgil argues. "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." This focus on private vehicles, experts say, came at the expense of developing a robust public transport system.
The Broken Promise of Public Transport
The anticipated shift from private to public transport has failed to materialise, and the reasons are clear. Abhyankar points to the critical last-mile connectivity issue. Commuters may take the Metro, but they are left stranded at stations with no easy way to reach their final destination due to a lack of connecting buses or pedestrian-friendly footpaths. This forces them back into cabs or their own cars.
Gadgil adds that the existing bus infrastructure is plagued by inadequacy, poor stops, and frequent breakdowns, making it an unreliable option. This unreliability pushes more people towards private vehicles, further exacerbating congestion. The city's workforce, like Blue Dart delivery agent Kiran Salunkhe, bears the brunt. His delivery time has ballooned from four hours to six due to the constant snarls.
Auto-rickshaw drivers like Tukaram Naik are caught in the middle, pressured by passengers to drive faster as their fares tick up while waiting at signals.
A Return to Basics: Enforcement and Awareness
Despite the complex challenges, Gadgil sees a path forward that doesn't rely on untested technology. He emphasises a return to fundamental traffic rule enforcement. "We should return to basics where traffic rules are enforced, people are caught, and they are fined," he asserts. This sentiment is echoed by 21-year-old fashion design student Vaishnavi Khabiya, who has learned that patience and caution are essential, regardless of the rush.
The upcoming elections place Pune's debilitating traffic and mobility crisis squarely in the spotlight. The message from experts and citizens alike is clear: the era of building flyovers as a primary solution is over. The future requires a holistic, people-centric approach that prioritises reliable public transport, safe pedestrian pathways, and strict adherence to the rules of the road.
