Unruly cars, hawkers near Swargate a bane for pedestrians: NGO

PUNE: Haphazard parking, halting of vehicles and encroachment by hawkers on roads adjacent to the Jedhe chowk flyover at Swargate has been causing serious problems for safe movement of pedestrians. Convener of Pedestrians First, Prashant Inamdar said rickshaws wait outside both state transport stand gates, and bus stands of the Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Limited. Also private vehicles or cabs halt on road for drop off or pick up of state transport bus passengers.Vehicle parking outside PMPML office and workshop, government offices, and Income Tax office spills over on the footpath and at road side. The parking, halting of vehicles, and hawker encroachment causes serious problems for safe pedestrian movement and also smooth traffic flow is hampered causing congestion. Strict prohibitory and preventive measures are needed to avoid the situation, Pedestrians First said in an email sent to Pune Municipal Commissioner Kunal Kumar and deputy commissioner of police (traffic) Pravin Mundhe.
"There are several important government offices on both sides of the Shanker Seth road where the flyover ends and the adjacent grade separator begins. As such considerable pedestrian movement takes place across the road. In the changed scenario with the construction of flyover and grade separator, this crossing will become very dangerous for pedestrians’’, Inamdar said. Safe at grade pedestrians crossing with refuge and traffic calming measures in needed," Inamdar said.