Social organizations and the citizens groups have finally found a ray of hope in the Municipal Commissioner Mahesh Zagde’s admission that the city of Pune has turned into a pedestrian-unfriendly city. These organizations and citizens groups now feel that the Pune Municipal Corporation will now take stringent steps to improve the conditions as regards the safety and convenience of the pedestrians.

Mr. Zagde had said recently that a substantial budgetary provision would help change the situation. It is a bitter truth that the city does not have any policy for the security of the pedestrians. The civic body has always kept harping the point of lack of sufficient funds for providing such facilities to the pedestrians. Organizations like the PMP Pravasi Manch, Pedestrians First and Sajag Nagrik Manch have requested the Municipal Commissioner to start off with some low cost measures as soon as possible.

The organizations have prepared a ten-point charter of demands. The main demand is the removal of encroachments on the pavements. The organizations have said that it is the responsibility of the civic administration to seize all the encroachment material on footpaths. Moreover, the construction material and heaps of debris which add to the problems of the pedestrians need to be removed quickly.

The organizations have also demanded that the footpaths under construction or those which are to be constructed should be designed taking into consideration the requirements of the pedestrians.

Footpaths are meant for the pedestrians and hence their needs should be the top priority in the construction. The footpaths must have proper entry and exit points at the chowks and the intersections. Respecting the needs of the handicapped people, the footpaths should also have the smooth surfaces for wheel chairs.

In many places in the city, the indistinct property boundaries and property entrances often lead to confusion and disputes. The organizations have demanded that the markings should be distinct. Most importantly the railings along the footpaths are the prime need in the city. The organizations have also emphasized the need to repaint the zebra crossings and to synchronize the traffic signals. The signals must have internal phases for pedestrians to cross the road safe and sound.

The organizations have also pointed out that the damaged footpaths have not been repaired for ages together.

Pedestrians First has come up with its own demands regarding the safety of pedestrians. According to the organization, pedestrians using the Jangli Maharaj Road and the Fergusson College Road have to face a number of problems, especially after the one way traffic plan came into effect on these roads a year ago. The group has demanded that effective speed breakers should be made ahead of the pedestrian crossings.

According to Mr. Mahesh Zagde, around 37 per cent people of Pune user footpaths every day as they walk to their destinations. He has accented the need of signals for pedestrians in the city. Mr. Shriniwas Bonala, additional engineer PMC has figured out that the city has got only 175 traffic signals and considerable 52 of them are not working at present. The fact has boosted the social organizations to put their demands before the PMC.

-Yogesh Sapre