City roads reel under deluge of vehicles

Snehal Sonawane / TNN / Aug 1, 2006, 03:19 IST

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The number of new cars in Pune have doubled from the annual growth rate of 11,000 during 2001-04 to 21,000 during 2005-2006.

City roads reel under deluge of vehicles

PUNE: The growth rate of two-wheelers in the city has risen sharply from an average 62,000 vehicles per year during 2001-2005 to 95,000 from March 2005 to March 2006.
Given the continuing absence of an effective mass transport system, this growth is set to worsen the already serious traffic congestion scenario.
The Environment Status Report (ESR) of the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has revealed that the number of two-wheelers has risen by 40,000 as compared to the growth rate from 2001 to 2004.
The number of new cars in Pune also doubled from the annual growth rate of 11,000 during 2001-04 to 21,000 during 2005-2006.

Besides the absence of mass transportation, the ESR states that Pune has a road network of only 4.46 per cent area of the city, which is far less than the proposed 13.04 per cent area for transportation and circulation in the development plan.
Speaking to TOI, Bharati Yadav, sales manager, Pashankar Auto Pvt. Ltd. confirmed that in the last one year, the number of vehicles being sold, mostly two-wheelers, has risen more sharply than in previous years.
"This could be because of the increasing disposable income and the purchasing power, even among youngsters like fresh software or management graduates. Another reason for this increase could be the easy availability of loans. I've observed that even people whose income is as low as Rs 5,000 per month are able to buy a vehicle through easy installment offers," she said.
"The soaring petrol price is not a deterrent for two-wheeler buyers." Outstation students are increasingly buying two-wheelers due to the poor public transport system in the city, she added.
Ironically, the PMC has admitted that rising mobility pattern of citizens has not been correspondingly supported by an efficient public transport.
"The result of this is clearly seen in increase in personal vehicles," the ESR says. The ESR has pointed out that there has been a sharp fall in the number of passengers using Pune Municipal Transport (PMT) buses, i.e. from 5,72,671 to 3,49,048, and a nearly 25 per cent reduction in the average passengers travelling by the buses per day.
The PMT is short of 400 buses as per the norm of 40 buses for a population of one lakh. This increases the travel time, due to which masses are reluctant to travel by public transport services, the report says.
The "vehicle explosion" has also posed a severe threat to the environment in terms of air pollution. The ESR states that the major threat to clean air in Pune city is now posed by traffic emissions.
While the maximum percentage of pollution is contributed by two-wheelers, which is 31 per cent, rickshaws come next with 27 per cent.

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