Traffic jams at the entrance of Pune railway station on the busy Raja Bahadur Mill Road is a common sight. Passengers and motorists are irked by daily traffic congestion caused by haphazardly parked transport cabs, buses and autorickshaws bang outside the station entrance.
In the absence of sufficient parking space, vehicles halt by the roadside, blocking one entire lane. The only solution is to provide parking space or pick up points for autorickshaws and cars on the railway premises. The move will open up the main road.
The Pune railway station operates over 150 trains every day. It has two entrances, of which one is located on the Raja Bahadur Mill Road.The entrance lacks circulating area for vehicles that approach the station to pick up and drop passengers. In the absence of authorised stands, autorickshaws stop right in front of a foot over bridge while cabs and buses stop on the road.
People who live nearby too are fed up of daily traffic jams and honking. They say the issue has become critical and said the railway administration needs to find a solution at the earliest.
Vishal Maru, a local resi dent, said, “More rail passengers these days prefer to take the Raja Bahadur Mill Road to reach station because the approach roads to the main gate remains overcrowded all through the day . The second entrance, however, lacks basic infrastructure. Rail authorities and police have not provided adequate area for halting of cabs, buses and autorickshaws. How can the police allow cabs and other vehicles to stop on the main road and obstruct other vehicles?“ Ashutosh Jadhav, who recently travelled in a cab to station, said that he had to walk for almost 500 meters to reach the station. “There was chaos and cabs were lined up on the main road. My parents and I decided to get down from the cab and walk with luggage in our hands. Thankfully , I was with them. For senior citizens, it is an ardous task. The authorities need to work out a solution,“ Jadhav said.
Autorickshaw driver Shankar Mane said there is no control over rickshaws parking by the road side. “Police presence is thin. The authorities should sanction a stand with capacity to park a minimum of 20 autorickshaws.The railway administration has very limited space available so it is challenging for them to find a solution,“ he said.
Source: TOI
