Pune: Save Pune Traffic Movement (SPTM), in its latest pedestrian infrastructure survey conducted in March-April 2024, has revealed that the zebra and stop line marking conditions on Pune roads has deteriorated since 2021. The survey was conducted at 103 intersetions in Pune city and focused on road markings like zebras and stop lines and pedestrian signals.

SPTM director Harshad Abhyankar said, "The survey has revealed that road markings like the condition of zebras and stop lines has deteriorated a bit since 2021. Though the percentage of chowks with really bad markings has slightly reduced, the percentage of chowks with excellent marking has also reduced. There is significant improvement in the average condition of pedestrian signals. This is mainly due to the ATMS project, which covers about half of the chowks in Pune. "

"Yet, we observed that the pedestrian signals at many of the ATMS intersections (though not all) have stopped working in just a few months. The status of the non-ATMS signals is perhaps even worse than in 2020. Significant improvements are needed in these signals so that pedestrians can safely cross roads at such intersections," he added.

The survey was conducted in the months of March and April, and covered 103 signal controlled intersections across the city. Many intersections were not surveyed because the pedestrian infrastructure was temporarily affected due to some work in progress like metro, flyovers etc. SPTM uses a point system to quantify the status of the pedestrian infrastructure. The same system has been used in earlier editions of the survey, so that the findings can be compared year-over-year.

Recommendations

Based on the findings of these survey, the concerned authorities need to take certain actions to improve pedestrians’ safety at signalled intersections, says Abhyankar. These steps are:

1. PMC Road Department and Ward offices should continue painting and maintaining the zebra and stop line markings, improving their score continuously.

2. Pune Traffic Police should promptly report malfunctioning pedestrian signals to PMC.

3. PMC Electrical Department should also proactively repair failed pedestrian signal aspects.

4. PMC Electrical Department should ensure that the signals are programmed to provide at least the minimum pedestrian phase duration, derived using formulas provided in IRC:93.

5. In spite of the above, pedestrians will need some indication to tell them whether it is safe to start crossing the road at a given instant. The ATMS signals have this facility, which needs to be extended to non-ATMS signals too.

6. PMC should ensure that audio indication is supplied so that visually challenged persons can know whether it is safe to cross a road. This is a mandatory requirement as per the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016. Such indication must be installed in all new signals, or retrofitted in old signals if possible – else the signal controllers would have to be changed to provide audio indication.