This story is from January 13, 2021

Bypass entry & exit points a maze for citizens, custodians

Bypass entry & exit points a maze for citizens, custodians
Pune: The traffic police have identified at least six entry and exit points between Bhumkar and Navale bridges along the busy Katraj-Dehu Road bypass as “vulnerable spots” requiring urgent attention to avert accidents.
“We want the National Highways Authority India (NHAI), which controls the bypass, to develop apt infrastructure or make suitable alterations at these six entry and exit points to channelize vehicular movement,” Pune deputy commissioner of police (traffic) Rahul Shrirame told TOI on Tuesday, a day after three persons were killed and 18 others were injured in seven accidents occurring within a span of six hours since 4.30am on the busy Katraj-Dehu Road bypass.

There have been several instances in the past three months of heavy vehicles, coming from the new Katraj tunnel at a high speed to join the bypass near the Bhumkar and Navale bridges, losing control and ploughing through cars and two-wheelers. The result has been quite a few fatalities and critical injuries.
Since October (2020), three major accidents have occurred at the entry and exit points of the bypass near Navale bridge. Of the six entry and exit points, four are located on the lanes headed for Mumbai and two are on the lanes towards Satara.
DCP Shrirame said, “An entry to the bypass from the Bhumkar bridge should be closed on an experimental basis for better safety of the local motorists. This entry point is located near the Narhe-Ambegaon road. This entry point leads directly up to the bypass and the motorists join the second lane, instead of the first lane.”
He said “We have requested NHAI to consider altering the exit and entry points to the bypass at Bhumkar chowk and near Navale bridge, where accidents are frequent. The accidents can be minimized if vehicular movement at these spots is properly routed.”

A senior NHAI official said, “We can create channels for the vehicles moving out of the bypass and the vehicles joining it. But there is an important issue — space. There is no space available to create this channel.”
He added, “In such a scenario, the bypass needs to have one more lane and some more space at the spot. This is excluding the service lane. The pressure of the local vehicular movement is there and each of the areas along the bypass wants a separate exit and entry point. We cannot provide that owing to the safety factors,” the officer said.
Suhas Chandanshiv, a local resident, said “There should be a safe passage of entry and exit from the bypass. I had witnessed an accident near the entry-exit point between Navale bridge and Vadgaon bridge two months ago. A truck had crushed four cars and a motorcycle rider. Thankfully, there was no casualty and no one was critically injured.”
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