PUNE: The Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Limited on Wednesday gave its in-principle
nod to open the Bus Rapid Transit System corridor on
Ahmednagar Road for general traffic and sent a letter to the
Pune Municipal Corporation.
“The stretch has around seven BRTS (Bus Rapid Transit System) stops and two of them are working at present. The others have been shifted or closed for the Metro work. The buses plying on the stretch enter and exit the corridor thrice because some of the stops have been shifted to the service road.
This is causing a major traffic jam on Ahmednagar Road. The PMPML’s (Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Limited) letter to the PMC (Pune Municipal Corporation) is about opening the entire corridor to general traffic so that public transportation is not hampered,” a PMPML official said.
Another official said the corridor until the Vimannagar corner would be opened for all vehicles. “There are close to eight BRTS bus stops from Yerawada to Vimannagar corner. Many of them have been closed or shifted. Buses exiting and re-entering the corridor is creating a problem. Hence, the PMPML has decided to open the whole stretch until the Vimannagar corner for a temporary period. Once the Metro work is over, the BRTS corridor will function again as normal and the entry of other vehicles will be stopped,” he said.
Deputy commissioner of police (DCP), traffic, Pankaj Deshmukh had said on Tuesday that they had requested the PMPML to open the BRTS corridor till the Vimannagar corner so that people going to the airport were not trapped in traffic jam.
PMPML’s public relations officer Subhash Gaikwad said “With the corridor opened, people will not get affected by traffic jams much. The PMC (Pune Municipal Corporation) should approve it soon in coordination with the traffic police.”