Civic body lays 'rumbling strips' on new Bundgarden Bridge to discourage speeding, ease rush hour congestion
Civic body lays 'rumbling strips' on new Bundgarden Bridge to discourage speeding, ease rush hour congestion
Brace yourself for a bumpy ride on the Bundgarden Bridge, also known as Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Setu. For, the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has laid 'rumbling strips' on the Parnakuti Junction end of the newly-built bridge to curb speeding and to ease traffic. 
Speed killers: Motorcyclists navigate over the speed breakers
at the bridge. Pic/Krunal Gsoavi
According to officials, the move was necessitated by recurring traffic jams and accidents on the Rs 30-crore bridge since its inauguration in December last year.u00a0The bridge has been declared one-way where traffic is allowed from Bundgarden end to the Yerawada end, while motorists heading towards Bundgarden from Nagar Road have to use the old Fitzgerald Bridge that runs parallel to the new bridge.
The Traffic Coordination Committee, which consists of officials from the Pune Traffic Police and the PMC, met to discuss various measures to reduce traffic congestion last month. "During a spot visit, it was observed that vehicles coming from Bundgarden and Koregaon Park on the new bridge tend to accelerate near the point where the bridge meets the junction. This had led to several minor accidents. That's the reason we decided to install rumbling strips to force motorists to decelerate," said Senior Police Inspector (Traffic Planning) Vijaykumar Palsule.
According to sources, the work on the strips finished around three weeks ago and signals have also been installed on the Parnakuti end of the new bridge. It had seen massive traffic chaos right from its inauguration on December 9, in the absence of proper traffic signals and zebra crossings. The logjam earned the officials flak from citizens and activists alike.
A PMC official requesting anonymity said that they are also carrying out additional road repair work on the Fitzgerald Bridge that includes laying more bitumen. "This will further improve the road condition and encourage joggers and pedestrians," he said.
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