PMC’s college journey enchancment plan to offer protected commute for kids

The Pune Municipal Company (PMC) is planning to implement modern strategies to allow college students to commute independently to and from college. The concept is to make roads safer for kids and encourage pupils to cycle or stroll to highschool, use public transport and on the similar time decongest site visitors on metropolis roads throughout peak hours.

In July this 12 months, the civic physique introduced a design competitors for city-based delicate city designers and planners to search out ‘implementable concepts’ that may assist scale back site visitors and enhance security close to faculties.

In accordance with PMC information, at present, 4% of scholars cycle to highschool whereas 21% of scholars use non-public autos (two-wheelers and automobiles) in Pune. This case is alarming and this variation in journey behaviour is adversely affecting metropolis’s well being and site visitors and must be reversed, say specialists.

A number of areas the place faculties are situated, witness site visitors chaos throughout peak hours when faculties begin and recover from. The PMC, by way of this plan, intends to decongest roads round college areas throughout morning and night hours.

A PMC official stated the civic physique has allotted ₹one crore for the plan. As of now, round 9 professionals have registered for the competitors. They are going to be given one and a half months to submit their proposals.

“A jury will assess the submissions. By Diwali, three greatest groups will probably be chosen and awarded ₹5 lakhs every. Their concepts will probably be trailed with or with out modifications, in December, for suggestions. Earlier than the tip of this monetary 12 months in March, no less than one of many proposals will probably be applied,” stated Nikhil Mijar, transport panner with PMC.

Below the plan, PMC has divided town into 9 high-priority zones primarily based on college focus – Deccan Gymkhana, Hadapsar, Lohegaon-Dhanori, Kothrud, Vadgaon-Budruk, Parvati-Bibwewadi, Pashan, Kondhwa and Kharadi. The contributors can select any of those zones and create a ‘context-based, sensible design resolution’ which is ‘simple to implement, low price and requires much less upkeep’. The proposal ought to embrace site visitors administration measures, a parking administration plan, public participation and stakeholder session, a non-motorised transit infrastructure enchancment plan, and many others.

Not like earlier, dad and mom are actually unwilling to permit kids to cycle or stroll to highschool. Mijar stated, “Again in my time, most kids got here to highschool on bicycles, making it onerous to determine one’s cycle from the ocean of cycles that have been parked at school. However as we speak the scenario is totally different.”

Mother and father quote a collection of causes, from air pollution to site visitors, for not letting their wards commute independently.

Sunil Shivale, who’s a trainer at New English College, Ramanbaug, stated, “Mother and father are not looking for their ward to commute independently for varied security causes.”

Usha, a dad or mum of two school-going kids, stated, “Media studies about crimes have made us apprehensive about sending kids alone to highschool. There must be a safe and strict system in opposition to crimes involving kids. My youngster’s college is at a 15 minutes distance, however we choose that he makes use of the varsity bus. There may be additionally the suspicion of drug sellers in and round faculties.”

Milind M Naik, principal of Jnana Prabodhini Prashala in Sadashiv Peth, stated,” No less than 50% of scholars right here from Courses 8 to 10 cycle to highschool. If the PMC implements the varsity journey enchancment plan it won’t solely assist to manage site visitors however commuting independently can even contribute to the general persona growth of scholars.”

Mijar added that first, the mindset has to alter after which there must be a well-set system that may assist college students to commute safely. “Emergency providers, helplines, calmer streets, extra timber for shades, help from college authorities and an empathetic basic public, and many others can go a great distance in making this doable,” he stated.

He stated that with rising automotive house owners and reducing household sizes, we can’t hold constructing flyovers and increasing roads. “We have to discover latent passive measures that may successfully scale back the congestion. Many international locations like US and Canada are already utilizing related tips for pupil security and site visitors management,” he stated.

Vital dates

Registration ended on July 31

Notification despatched to chose groups on August 1

Design proposal submission date: September 12

Notification to be despatched to chose groups: September 16 (tentative)

Jury date: September 23 (tentative)

Winner announcement: September 30 (Tentative)

Felicitation: October

Submission of working/ tender/ drawings and idea report for trial: October

On floor trial: November/December

(Supply: PMC web site)