Pune: Initiatives by PMC and Traffic Police to Reduce Traffic Congestion Lead to Improved Travel Time
The initiatives undertaken by the Pune Municipal Corporation and the city’s traffic police to reduced traffic congestion have reduced travel time significantly in the city. Recent evaluations indicate that the time required to cover a 10-kilometre distance in Pune has decreased by one minute. This improvement is largely due to strategic congestion control measures implemented across the city, as claimed by PMC.
The teams have 29 identified congestion points, down from 37 last year. Efforts are going on to further reduce these chokepoints and improve traffic movement. A comparative analysis based on TomTom’s automotive navigation system reports that while travel time has increased in cities like Bengaluru and Kolkata, Pune has seen a measurable improvement in vehicular movement.
To accelerate traffic flow, improvements are being implemented on 15 major roads in the city. Chronic congestion points and encroachments have been identified, and necessary corrective measures are being taken. These efforts have caused a reduction in congestion at intersections, facilitating smoother travel across major routes.
Ongoing infrastructure projects, including metro construction, have led to temporary slowdowns. However, coordinated actions by the municipal corporation and traffic police since September last year have been aimed at mitigating these challenges. With 80% of the city’s traffic concentrated on 32 primary roads, a focused approach has been adopted to optimize vehicular movement.
Additionally, stringent actions are being taken against unauthorized parking, road and intersect encroachment, and other traffic violations. The municipal corporation has also undertaken road repairs and pothole maintenance to further enhance road conditions.
Rising Vehicle Numbers Pose a Challenge
The rapid increase in the number of vehicles remains a significant challenge for Pune’s road infrastructure. In 2018, Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad collectively had 52 lakh registered vehicles. Over the past five years, this number has surged to 72 lakh, while the capacity of the roads has remained unchanged.
Under the ‘Mission 15’ initiative, targeted efforts are being made to improve traffic flow on 15 critical roads, including Solapur Road, which has already witnessed an increase in travel speed. Despite the rise in the number of vehicles, continuous monitoring and strategic interventions are expected to sustain and further improve traffic conditions across the city.
