Pune –
The road widening work on the Pune-Mumbai bypass highway between Katraj and Navale bridge has begun, however, this has caused several issues for the local residents.
The major issue in this area is pedestrian safety.
Despite residential colonies on both sides of the highway, there is no safe passage for pedestrians to cross the road safely. Apart from this, several other issues contribute to traffic congestion like no space for bus stops, narrow underpasses for vehicles, and unauthorised halts.
Ashish Bhosale, a resident of Ambegaon said, “Earlier, there was a designated stop at the Highway side where people could board the bus. But after the road widening work started, the bus stop was removed, and barricades were installed between the service road and the highway. So now people need to stand on the side of the highway to board the PMPML bus. It is not only creating hurdles for traffic but also becoming a threat to people standing along the road.”
Geeta Shelke, another resident from the locality said the constant flow of vehicles makes it tricky for pedestrians to cross the road.
“There is an underpass near the highway, but it has been under construction for a long time, and the footpaths are in poor shape. Furthermore, the subway is unsafe because many heavy vehicles pass through it,” she explained.
Yuvraj Beldare, a former corporator from the Bharati Vidyapith area said, “After a long time the work has started on this highway which will help in solving the traffic issues in this area. We also identified the problems that pedestrians face and in the coming week, a site visit is planned along with the concerned authorities so that appropriate steps can be taken in this regard.”
