Pune's FC Road Chokes Under Traffic, Encroachments & Poor Planning: 'No Space To Park, No Space To Walk'

Fergusson College (FC) Road suffers from chronic traffic congestion, offsetting the gentle walk through one of the iconic streets of Pune city. Often crowded by students, shoppers and professionals, FC Road hosts a few renowned places in the city: for instance, Café Good Luck, Fergusson College, Hotel Vaishali and an affordable, fashion-trendy cosmetics market. The road sees thousands of vehicles of all types fighting for space, ill-equipped to manage the volume of traffic. The aesthetic appeal of the road has been taken over by vehicles and small businesses, sparing little space for pedestrians, especially on the stretch from Café Good Luck to Fergusson College.

'Need for pedestrian-friendly infrastructure'

Ankit Raj, a student of law at Fergusson College, told The Free Press Journal, “During the morning, it takes more time to cover 1 km of distance from Deccan Corner to my college than to cover 5 km from Karve Nagar to Deccan Corner.” Another student, Srishti Kaul, said the footpaths have been encroached upon by small shops and the public, making traversing the sidewalk feel like "dodging a ball." Srishti added that there was a need for pedestrian-friendly infrastructure.

'There are few legal parking spots'

A book café store owner at Deccan Corner said customers avoid coming to shop in the evening due to a lack of parking spaces. Similarly, a cake shop owner at Dnyaneshwar Paduka Chowk said, “I witness daily scuffles between traffic towing staff and commuters who park in no-parking zones.” Asif Sheikh, expressing frustration over the lack of designated parking zones, told FPJ, “If you walk through FC Road, there are few legal parking spots, and most are regularly occupied. This compels people to park on footpaths or in no-parking zones, which leads to challans being imposed.”

The illegal hawkers occupying FC Road further put a strain on traffic congestion, calling for an urgent, comprehensive solution to make an inclusive space for everyone. The PMC's virtual halt on issuing fresh hawker licenses since 2017 has led to the mushrooming of illegal hawkers on FC Road. These hawkers complain about the recent increase in anti-encroachment drives by the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) officials.

'We are earning money only to pay PMC fines'

Santosh Kumar, who runs a tea stall near Hotel Vaishali, said, “We are earning money only to pay PMC fines to retrieve our stalls after these drives or to pay rent to property owners for occupying their space. I, too, want to run a legal business, but the opportunity has been taken away,” he exclaimed. Kumar also pointed out the hefty price of ₹3,000–4,000 they must pay to retrieve their stall, gas cylinder and other materials.

'No permanent fix to this problem'

Asking for redressal of illegal hawkers’ grievances, PMC officials present at the drive told FPJ, “There is no permanent fix to this problem. PMC has stopped issuing hawker licenses in the city. If any licenses are issued, they will be in the newly merged villages in PMC. We have been tasked with removing encroachments. We are following orders. If someone puts up a stall without a license, we are bound to remove it, and the hawker must pay a fine.”

A traffic inspector stationed at Shivajinagar Police Station told FPJ that the primary responsibility lies with the PMC to provide parking space in the city. “The role of the traffic police is to enforce traffic rules. We coordinate with PMC officials to remove illegal structures obstructing commuter or vehicle movement.”

The inspector shared that major congestion on the road occurs at Garware Chowk and Dnyaneshwar Paduka Chowk, especially during peak hours: 9am and 6pm on weekdays. Due to the narrow road width at Deccan Corner, traffic coming from JM Road, Peth areas and Kothrud–Paud Road clogs the smooth movement at Garware Chowk. Another traffic policewoman on FC Road blamed double-parking for the traffic snarls commuters face.

'Citizens need to cooperate'

After the installation of AI-enabled CCTV cameras on FC Road, there has been a slight improvement in traffic movement. The inspector added that since the AI cameras automatically issue challans to vehicles standing for more than three minutes, many prefer to keep moving rather than park. He suggested erecting bollards to prevent two-wheelers from using the footpath. “Citizens need to cooperate by following parking rules and avoiding wrong-side driving,” he urged.

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