After Dr Ketan Khurjekar killed, old demand raised again: More parking bays along Pune-Mumbai Expressway

While the highway patrol police time and again put forward their demand for multiple parking bays, at present, there are only two bays located near Khalapur — one of which is located behind a cluster of restaurants and is rarely used by commuters.

Milind Mohite, Superintendent of Police with the Pune division of the Highway Patrol, said: “In our recent observations, we have seen that the existing parking bays are hardly used by the commuters, especially truck drivers. The tea and other food items sold at these places are not affordable for an average driver. We feel that it is very important that there are multiple parking bays along the length of the Expressway, which are easily accessible and have affordable amenities. This will reduce the frequency of vehicles having to stop on the roadside…”

The existing parking bays are owned and operated by the Maharashtra Road Development Corporation (MSRDC), the nodal body for road construction in the state. An MSRDC official told The Indian Express that proposals for parking bays had come up in the past as well but no action has been taken beyond opening two bays near Khalapur. Meanwhile, the Highway Police has started a drive against violators of lane-cutting norms on the Expressway.