TOI PUNE: Lata and Mahesh Kamble have been running a food stall on the footpath outside Colonel Young School and Rajiv Gandhi Hospital in Yerawada for close to 40 years. Over the decades, they have witnessed countless vehicles flouting traffic rules and the resultant congestion on a daily basis. The couple is so accustomed to the chaos that they plan their day accordingly.
"Earlier, we would open the stall around 7am but ever since the second one-way bridge (from Bund Garden towards Yerawada) was built five years ago we start doing business only after 11.30am," said Lata. The couple sells savoury snacks and juice from their stall.
"Nowadays, there is so much traffic that motorists travelling on the wrong side of the road have begun using the footpath where we work. To avoid such risky behaviour, we start working only once the congestion reduces. Most motorists are locals, who consider the detour in the right direction a bit much," Mahesh explained.
In most cases, the violators travel in the wrong direction from the lane connecting Laxminagar locality to the chowk. Not just two-wheelers, even autorickshaws can be seen going the wrong way throughout the day.
As the Kambles stated, the reason that many motorists coming from Laxminagar lane do not follow the correct way to go towards Deccan College Road is to avoid the long round trip. To get across the junction in this direction, the traffic moves towards Bund Garden on Yerawada Bridge and comes back to the other end of the chowk by crossing on Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Bridge.
This 'convenient' shortcut causes mayhem for commuters during peak traffic hours. "While going to work from Baner to Kharadi, I take around 30 minutes to cross the short stretch from Sangamwadi signal to Yerawada Chowk. Sometimes, the left lane is completely occupied by people travelling in the wrong direction. I usually wait at my office until 7.30pm so there is lesser congestion on the way back home. The stretch from Ambedkar Bridge to Sangamwadi signal is a single lane and is always congested," said IT professional Gaurav Vidwans.
Traffic officials are also caught up managing the traffic at the two bridges, leaving the wrong-way drivers unattended at most times.
News Link : Click Here
EmoticonEmoticon