Pune: Residents living along Pune’s Nagar Road have raised their voices against the traffic department’s new signal-free and U-turn policy, sparking a banner protest that highlighted their safety concerns. Placards reading “Sahib… how do we cross Nagar Road?” and “Why make us pay for a bad U-turn plan?” captured the residents’ frustration over the new system’s lack of pedestrian safety and careful planning.
As part of the initiative to ease congestion, eight traffic signals along the busy stretch were disabled, a move that traffic police say has improved vehicle movement. However, locals argue that safety has been ignored — especially for pedestrians, who have been left without proper crossings or designated walkways. Commuters, schoolchildren, senior citizens, and women say they now have to risk their lives dodging fast-moving traffic, creating further unrest toward the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) and traffic authorities.
The experiment included closing signals at major junctions like Shastrinagar Chowk, Aga Khan Palace, Ramwadi Hyatt Chowk, Viman Nagar, Somnath Nagar, Aaganagar Hotel Upala, Mahanagar Bank, and Chandan Nagar underpass — diverting traffic to a few U-turn spots, including the old Kharadi octroi post. Locals report this is not only creating jams but also endangering pedestrians as they struggle to navigate the busy road.
Protesters such as Pramod Devkar, Anil Galande, and Karim Shaikh have displayed banners at U-turns demanding solutions. They argue that residents and local representatives were never consulted before the change was introduced.
Adding to the frustration is the partial removal of the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) corridor, which had already been a safety concern for years. Critics say only the bus stops were taken away, leaving the concrete dividers intact. These barriers continue to shrink the usable width of the road, cancelling out any benefit of removing the BRT lane and leaving commuters, especially pedestrians, more vulnerable.
Although police authorities insist the new signal-free setup is working, locals remain unconvinced. According to Deputy Commissioner of Traffic Amol Zhende, the initiative has sped up movement and shaved off 15 minutes of commute time. Zhende acknowledged some inconvenience for pedestrians and noted that underpasses and a 20-second signal timer are provided for them to cross.
But many commuters say congestion has worsened. A former corporator noted that his trip from Ramwadi to Shastrinagar Chowk took him more than 30 minutes, with ambulances often caught in the bottleneck. Even though helplines respond promptly, real-time action on the ground is lacking, leaving emergency services like ambulances stranded in traffic.
Citizens are demanding the restoration of safe crossings and complete removal of BRT dividers to ease congestion. They believe without these changes, safety will continue to be compromised, and traffic woes will persist despite the new scheme.
