With a view to bring down the number of accidents taking place at the intersections on the old Mumbai-Pune highway, the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) in association with a voluntary organisation and a leading car maker, has launched "tactical urbanism trials" at Karla Phata near Lonavala.
Tactical Urbanism (TU) trials are temporary, quick, and relatively low-cost interventions, which test out urban design, transportation planning, and infrastructural changes for improving road safety for all road users, especially the most vulnerable, like pedestrians, cyclists, and other non-motorised transport users, a release said.
As part of the 'Vision Zero Project' with MSRDC and SKODA Auto Volkswagen India Pvt Ltd, SaveLIFE Foundation is currently testing temporary design interventions to improve safety for pedestrians, cyclists, and other road users.
"The intersection had discontinuous footpaths in poor condition, no waiting space for pedestrians and since the junction on the Highway is used by the villagers, there was high exposure to conflict," the release said.
Talking about the initiative, Dr Chandrakant Pulkundwar, joint managing director of the MSRDC said that Karla Phata (on Mumbai-Pune highway) has a heavy pedestrian footfall with over 250 pedestrians using the intersection during the peak hour.
"Through these trials at Karla Phata, we aim to test a methodology to treat high-risk intersections on national highways and use pre-emptive measures to reduce conflict and therefore any risk to human life. We also aim to use this methodology on other intersections on the Old Mumbai -Pune Highway," he said
