Transport body wants bus bays on Katraj-Dehu Road bypass

PUNE: The All-India Motor Transport Congress has proposed dedicated bus bays at Narhe, Warje, Chandni Chowk, Baner and Wakad junctions on the busy Katraj-Dehu Road bypass to curb traffic congestion caused by buses halting on the main road.
Hundreds of buses ply on this route and the lack of bus bays leads to frequent traffic jams when they stop on either sides of the main road to pick up and drop passengers.
Baba Shinde, member of the association, said fatal accidents are rising on Katraj-Dehu Road bypass. “The traffic is in a complete mess. Absence of bays is among the many reasons behind the chaos and increased chances of mishaps. Our association has already approached the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) and traffic police seeking their intervention to resolve the problems,” he added.
“Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh have provided bus bays on national highways. We wonder why such provisions are not made in Maharashtra. The land along the bypass is in NHAI’s possession so it will be easy for it to allocate some portion of land at each junction for bus bays,” Shinde said.
The association said the issue was taken up during a meeting in which highway officials had assured provision of space for bus halts.
Amit Natu, who travels to Talegaon via Katraj–Dehu Road bypass everyday said that Narhe, Sinhagad Road, Wakad and Hinjewadi are prominent spots where traffic jams occur frequently. Buses and trucks often stop by the side of the road or in the extreme left lanes to pick up passengers. So vehicles traveling in this lane cannot go through, resulting in huge queues on the highway especially during rush hours, Natu said.
A senior official from Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) said that dedicated bays would benefit passengers as they would not have to wait by the roads. The bays will also help police manage traffic and act against unauthorized transport. Over 500 buses, including semi-luxury buses, travel on Katraj-Dehu Raod bypass every day to Mumbai, Kolhapur and Shivneri buses to Dadar and Borivli, officials said.
The Katraj-Dehu Road bypass has two lanes on each side. The highway authorities have taken up construction of underpasses and flyovers on some stretches to provide barrier free lanes for vehicles which do not want to enter the city.