Pune: SaveLIFE Foundation undertakes Tactical Urbanism Trial at Kharadi Bypass Intersection

Pune, 19 December, 2022: To save lives and make Pune roads safe for all, the SaveLIFE Foundation (SLF), with support from Skoda Auto Volkswagen India Private Limited and in close partnership with the Pune Municipal Corporation and the Pune Traffic Police has launched a Tactical Urbanism Trial at the Kharadi Bypass Intersection. As per the Pune Traffic Police, the Kharadi Bypass Intersection witnessed a total of 10 crashes in 2021. Two of these were fatal and four serious.

Tactical Urbanism (TU) trials are temporary, quick and relatively low-cost interventions, which test out urban design, transportation planning and infrastructural changes for improving road safety for all road users, especially the most vulnerable, like pedestrians, cyclists and other non-motorised transport users. Once the interventions are proven, the relevant Government agencies are expected to make them permanent.

As part of the Zero Fatality Corridor (ZFC) initiative, SaveLIFE Foundation tests temporary urban design interventions. An essential component of these trials is road space redistribution to ensure modal equity, road geometrics modification, traffic channelisation, vehicular speed reduction, and addition of pedestrian and cyclist safety infrastructure.

Speaking about the immediate need to support such interventions, Piyush Arora, MD, Skoda Auto Volkswagen India Private Limited, said, “Across the country, the social, economic and emotional impact that road crashes have is tremendous. Skoda Auto Volkswagen India Private Limited is committed to actions oriented towards making our roads safer. We have had a long association with SaveLIFE Foundation to combat this concern. Through innovative solutions, we hope to make this stretch safer for all types of road users.”

The Kharadi Bypass Intersection is a T-junction located on the Pune-Ahmednagar Bypass and Magarpatta road. The Pune International Airport lies north-west of the Intersection which is connected to Viman Nagar and Wagholi along the east-west direction and Magarpatta road in the south.

Elaborating on the road safety situation at Kharadi Bypass Chowk Intersection, Vikas Dhakane, the Additional Municipal Commissioner, Pune Municipal Corporation, said, ”With an average of approximately 22,000 pedestrians and approximately 2 lakh vehicles using the Kharadi Bypass Intersection on a daily basis, this location experiences heavy pedestrian footfall and vehicular movement. The Intersection acts as a gateway to Pune City for the traffic coming in from Ahmednagar and Aurangabad. This Intersection is also a strategic intercity bus transit stop. These factors together contribute towards the Intersection receiving heavy pedestrian and vehicular thoroughfare. The existing 55 metre width of the Intersection makes it extremely difficult for pedestrians to cross it at one go, especially for the vulnerable population including children and the elderly.”

In addition, the signal timings at this Intersection are not optimised. With no pelican signals installed, it is difficult for pedestrians to cover this stretch at once, translating into pedestrians having to dash across the stretch during the limited signal time. This inadequate time to cross the stretch gives rise to conflict propensity between pedestrians and vehicular traffic. The Intersection also lacks waiting spaces or islands where pedestrians may stop while crossing. Its dynamic vehicular characteristics make it harder for traffic police to manage the traffic at this Intersection manually.

The major TU interventions undertaken at the Kharadi Bypass Intersection, where the week-long trial was launched on December 16, include the reclaiming of space to create wider, safer walkways, traffic islands, pedestrian refuge islands, and shorter crossings. This was done with the intention of enhancing the safety and comfort of pedestrians. The interventions for this include creating a wider public space for pedestrians and carving out the provision of continuous, paved pedestrian access routes.

Further interventions undertaken include creating lane markings, zebra crossings and parking spaces. The trials are being undertaken for a week-long time period as right after the trial completion, PMC will begin civil work at the site to make the tried and tested recommendations permanent. PMC will include the interventions with a positive impact in its final constructive redesign plan to make the Kharadi Bypass Intersection safe for all road users.

Other alterations include carving out dedicated space for bus stops, enabling commuters to safely board and alight the buses, and for Intermediate Public Transport modes such as auto-rickshaws. Measures introduced to better manage the vehicular flow entering the Kharadi Bypass Intersection include wayfinding features and strategic placement of signages on all sides to alert vehicles approaching the Intersection.

Additionally, in the service lane from the Wagholi approach, a sign has been added alerting motorists to keep left. This sign, aimed at streamlining motorists to the left before approaching the traffic, helps ensure against them merging with the straight moving traffic.

Commenting on this, Mr. Piyush Tewari, CEO, SaveLIFE Foundation said, “SaveLIFE Foundation employs scientific research and in-depth analysis to combat the road crash epidemic confronting India. The Tactical Urbanism trials undertaken by SLF within its Zero Fatality Corridor programme use data, evidence and design thinking to determine the best possible solutions for saving lives. We are grateful to Skoda Auto Volkswagen India Private Limited, Pune Municipal Corporation and the Pune Traffic Police for working with us towards improving road safety in Pune.”

This redesigning at the Kharadi Bypass Intersection has led to a 24% reduction in the pedestrian exposure distance and a 79% increase in the public space available for pedestrians. This is the third Tactical Urbanism trial in Pune, with the two previous ones conducted at Undri Chowk and the Khadi Machine Chowk.