Pune: Traffic diversions , poor condition of roads, traffic rule violations have more than doubled the travel time between Shimla Office Chowk and Pune railway station , a distance of barely 2.5km. Commuters are now spending at least 20 minutes in travel time on the stretch as against a normal of 5-10 minutes.
Prashanth Joshi, a regular traveller on the stretch, said the travel time has gone up by at least 20-25 minutes. “Vehicles move at a snail’s pace starting from University Chowk to Pune railway station. The junctions near Shimla Office, Sancheti Hospital and RTO have been facing traffic snarls,” he said.
Regular commuters said the Metro works were under way from Shimla Office to Sancheti Hospital chowks, while a road stretch near RTO Chowk had become risky owing to several gaping potholes. Atul Thite, who recently visited the Civil Court, said the stretch outside the court had been utilised for Metro works. “People are parking their vehicles inside the grade separator.
Motorcyclists are not following one-way traffic rules. Many two-wheeler riders also tend to travel in the wrong direction at RTO Chowk,” Thite said. The Metro authority and the traffic police said wardens were deployed at all the junctions to maintain smooth traffic.
The commuters, however, said the wardens were not proving sufficient to handle the traffic. Sayli Shah, who travelled from Pune station to University Chowk in a car on Monday evening, said the entire stretch was jam-packed. “Vehicl.