PMC to Reinstall Speed Breakers on 75 km of Pune Roads After Cycle Tour
Pune, 2nd February 2026: The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) is set to reinstall speed breakers on nearly 75 km of city roads that were upgraded to international standards for the Pune Grand Cycle Tour, an international cycling event. While the improved roads had enabled smoother and faster traffic movement, the reinstallation of speed breakers is expected to slow vehicular flow once again.
The speed breakers had been temporarily removed to facilitate the cycling competition. PMC Road Department Chief Aniruddha Pavaskar confirmed that the civic body will now reinstall them in the interest of road safety.
The upgraded roads, made pothole-free with levelled chambers, had drawn praise from citizens for better ride quality and improved traffic speed. However, concerns are being raised that reinstalling speed breakers could lead to congestion on these stretches. Earlier, as many as 84 locations on these roads had speed breakers and pedestrian crossings.
The issue gains significance as Pune was ranked the world’s fourth most congested city in last year’s TomTom Traffic Index. Following the ranking, the traffic police and PMC jointly focused on 32 major roads carrying nearly 85% of the city’s traffic load to ease congestion.
During this exercise, multiple causes of traffic snarls were identified, including encroachments, design flaws and unscientific speed breakers that significantly reduced vehicle speeds. Acting on traffic police recommendations, PMC launched a special drive and removed nearly 450 speed breakers across the city, while correcting others that did not meet prescribed norms.
However, several local police stations later wrote to the PMC seeking the reinstallation of speed breakers on specific roads, citing a rise in accidents. This has once again highlighted the absence of a clear and uniform policy between the civic body and the police on speed regulation.
Explaining the decision, Pavaskar said traffic speeds have increased on the roads developed for the cycling event, making regulation essential. He said the speed breakers will be installed strictly as per Indian Road Congress (IRC) standards, painted with thermoplastic material, and accompanied by proper signage. Reflective cat-eye markers will also be installed to ensure visibility at night.
