Pune: PMC Identifies 22 Accident-Prone Black Spots, Plans Safety Measures
Pune, 2nd November 2023: In a concerted effort to enhance road safety, the civic administration and traffic police in Pune have pinpointed 22 black spots on major roads and key junctions, including Nagar Road, Solapur Road, and Satara Road, where accidents have been alarmingly frequent, resulting in fatalities and severe injuries.
Officials from the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) recently conducted a preliminary survey of these identified spots to assess various factors such as traffic flow, functionality of traffic signals, the Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS) route, encroachments, and space utilization.
A PMC official revealed plans to establish a dedicated working cell tasked with recommending safety measures and devising strategies to minimize the likelihood of accidents at these critical junctions. The cell will actively seek input from traffic experts and the traffic police to formulate effective measures. Notable accident-prone locations, or black spots, include Katraj Chowk, Vimannagar Chowk, Khadi Machine Chowk, Sainathnagar Junction, 509 Chowk, Kharadi Octroi Chowk, and Mai Mangeshkar Hospital Chowk.
During inspections, PMC teams observed haphazard traffic movement at certain junctions, contributing to accidents. Issues such as wrong-side driving, unauthorized use of BRTS lanes by private vehicles, over-speeding, and inadequate provisions for pedestrians to cross junctions were identified as common culprits.
An official from PMC’s road department highlighted specific challenges at Katraj Chowk, citing narrow space for vehicle turns, insufficient access to Kondhwa Road, and disruptions caused by PMPML buses towards the terminus.
The civic body plans to tailor individualized plans for each junction, taking into account the unique local conditions, and will actively seek feedback from both the traffic police and experts during the finalization of these plans.
Transport experts and regular commuters expressed concerns about the daily commute becoming increasingly challenging due to rampant traffic violations and inadequate planning at many city junctions. Residents emphasized the need for proper traffic management to address issues like rash driving.
The persistent issue of black spots and accident-prone locations was also discussed in a meeting led by Collector Rajesh Deshmukh on October 30, addressing concerns in both urban and rural areas of the district.
