Pimpri Chinchwad: Linear Garden street tops in survey of street assessment

Linear Garden Street has topped the street assessment survey according to a six-month research project conducted by the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) in partnership with the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP) towards scaling up the walking and cycling network in the twin city. This is because of its continuous and adequate infrastructure for these activities.

On the other hand, the survey places Vishal Nagar DP Road, Nigdi Road, and D Y Patil Road in second, third, and fourth place, respectively. However, because of their poor infrastructure for bicyclists and pedestrians, the former Mumbai-Pune Highway, Dighi-Alandi Road, and Hutatma Chowk to Sambhaji Chowk Road (Pradhikaran) received the lowest scores.

The project results were published in a comprehensive street assessment report entitled, “Pimpri-Chinchwad on Foot and Cycle” at the PCMC-hosted national workshop on “Streets and Urban Spaces” in the recently concluded Smart Cities Mission. 13 streets in Pimpri-Chinchwad were examined, and 1,850 people from which 1,300 of whom were pedestrians and 140 of whom were cyclists were interviewed, according to the ITDP. 6 guiding principles served as the foundation for the street assessment framework namely blue-green infrastructure, liveability, safety, accessibility, inclusivity & ease of movement.

PCMC Commissioner said that they will soon begin the pilot implementation of the Harit Setu Master Plan in Pradhikaran. The PCMC is aware that this project requires a lot of resources. Therefore, the PCMC is eager to take a data-informed approach in order to guarantee the project’s success.

An ITDP senior official said that Pimpri-Chinchwad’s streets are designed for speed limits of 30 and 40 km/h. On all 13 streets, however, speed surveys showed that the average speed was over 50 kmph, exceeding the speed limit. 

The PCMC features some dangerous junctions, such as Bhosari Chowk, Nashik Phata, Kalewadi Phata, and Pimpri Chowk, which could accommodate about thirty badminton courts! Imagine an elderly or child attempting to cross the street in the middle of all these fast-moving vehicles.