Camp’s tiny divider is a huge safety risk

It’s barely 10 inches in height, but the divider on the BRTS stretch between Dhobi Ghat and Fatimanagar — along the Pune-Solapur highway — has been responsible for numerous crashes over the years.
At night, this colourless feature — near the Mahatma Gandhi bus stand at Pulgate — is extremely difficult to spot. It has no paint and parts of it have broken down.
“I rammed into that divider just last month,” said Manish Kalmbe, a resident of Camp.“It was 6pm and I failed to spot it. Luckily, I survived without major injuries. The height of the divider has to be raised by at least three feet,” Kalmbe said.
The median is part of one of the most poorly conceived BRTS routes in the city. Despite its narrow width, this stretch, maintained by the PWD, was given a dedicated BRTS corridor by PMC in 2002. And according to an agreement signed between PMC and PCB, it was the corporation’s job to maintain this particular BRTS line, which is one of the very few that are still operational in Pune. However, when asked about the divider, officials from PMC’s road department said the BRTS line was laid here nearly two decades ago and it was now the PCB’s job to maintain it.
“How can this be?” asked Rajiv Singh, another resident of Camp. “Are we to believe this divider now belongs to no one? You just can’t see it. At night, there’s glare from vehicles coming from the other direction,” Singh said.
A few officials TOI spoke to said the divider cannot be removed. “Removing it will lead to accidents,” said PMPML’s BRTS manager Anant Waghmare. “The divider was installed to separate traffic. The dedicated route is a oneway system that was meant for PMPML buses only, but all types of vehicles now ply on it. We will inspect the spot and send a letter to PMC, asking it to re-paint the dividers and fix reflectors on it. We’ll soon also decide if its height needs to be increased,” Waghmare said.
Officials from PCB too said it was high time PMC fixed the divider, to makethe road safer for motorists. “Its height has to be at least 3 feet for it to be properly visible at night. Chances of accidents increase when motorists coming from Fatimanagar drive on the wrong side and pass through the Khanya Maruti chowk onwards to East Street. PMC needs to take corrective measures," said one PCB official.
Inspector AN Hazare from the Wanowrie traffic police division said: “One part of the dedicated route is a service road meant only for buses. But motorists continue to use it despite there being an alternative road. I will ask the PCB and PMC to fix reflective stickers on the divider. ” Rajabhau Chavan, an activist from the Camp area, said nearly 100 metres of the road is accident-prone after dark.
“It’s very dangerous during the monsoon. The service road does not have street lighting either. PMPML should install signboards warning motorists not to use the service road because it helps buses take right turns into the terminus from Pulgate. Motorists can use the alternative route via the Solapur Bazaar police chowkey,” Chavan said.
Local residents also said the road needs to be widened. It is a key link for motorists trying to reach Fatimanagar, Camp, Bhawani Peth, Swargate, Shankarsheth Road and Golibar Maidan Chowk. High speed driving has been a major problem near Pulgate, St Mary’s church and Solapur road traffic signals.
“Fixing the divider is just the start. Both PMC and PCB need to figure out how to make roads safer across Camp. Taxpayers here deserve to have wide roads that don’t put lives at risk,” said resident Pranav Dubey.