Why Is Pune’s Traffic Getting Worse? A Closer Look at the City’s Daily Struggle
Why Is Pune’s Traffic Getting Worse? A Closer Look at the City’s Daily Struggle
As Pune grows, so does its traffic, here’s why the city is grappling with constant congestion.
If you’ve been stuck in traffic in Pune recently, you’re not alone. The city is witnessing a sharp increase in traffic congestion, and it’s not just due to more vehicles. A mix of urban expansion, infrastructure challenges, and public behaviour is contributing to this daily urban struggle.
One of the core issues is that the road width in Pune has remained limited, but the number of vehicles continues to rise sharply. As more people move into the city and new buildings spring up, the number of vehicle registrations has soared, especially two-wheelers and four-wheelers. It’s now common for each household to own at least two vehicles, leaving little room on already cramped roads.
Meanwhile, infrastructure projects though necessary, are eating into road space. With ongoing construction for flyovers, metro lines, and road repairs, the carriageway width is shrinking, leading to bottlenecks at key junctions. Even well-intended development work is contributing to jams in the short term.
Public transport remains underutilized, which means more people rely on personal vehicles. This, combined with illegal parking, rule violations, and signal jumping, creates a chaotic flow. Many traffic signals are not synced with current traffic patterns, leading to improper signal timing, which further disrupts smooth movement.
Adding to the trouble is unbalanced deployment of traffic police, leaving some key intersections poorly managed, especially during peak hours. Sudden events like accidents, heavy vehicle breakdowns, VIP movements, religious processions, and faulty traffic lights make the situation worse.
Then there’s basic indiscipline, drivers cutting lanes, ignoring red lights, and blocking chowks. These daily behaviours collectively worsen the gridlock.
In short, Pune’s traffic crisis isn’t caused by one factor alone. It’s a complex web of rapid urbanisation, infrastructure constraints, poor planning, and lack of enforcement. Unless addressed with better public transport, stricter rule enforcement, and smarter traffic planning, the city may continue to choke on its own growth.
