Old City Pune is distinct in its characteristics, it is a place of historical significance, a home to endless temples, old-houses, and an enamouring architecture. It harbours one of the oldest and densest parts of Pune, and a sought-after marketplace, Laxmi Road, with people coming from faraway places to shop and visit. It has seen rapid transformations with changes in mobility practices of people leading to congestion and urban festering, contributing to development that has myriad ill-effects on the place. Population increase has led to crowd and heavy congestion of vehicles on the roads. One of the complexities of Pune’s core city is the high percentages of private-vehicle ownership; mainly two-wheelers. According to Development Plan (2013) (Parisar, 2022), there are 83% households that own either cars or motorbikes, with number of vehicles overpassing the human population in Pune. After more than a decade of efforts by the government and non-government entities, the problems of transportation and traffic remain unresolved. Therefore, Parisar aims at decarbonising mobility systems and promoting public and non-motorised transportation; rejuvenating the core city for a healthier future and better liveable environment, economic recovery and customer focused, conserving its iconic character and vibrancy.
This report is based on a two-month fieldwork in the old city of Pune, this report presents a preliminary assessment of stakeholders’ concerns, issues and possible recommendations/suggestions forwarded by them to improve present state of transportation and mobility systems in the core city. It comprises stakeholders’ engagement; mainly the shopkeepers, street vendors, auto-rickshaw drivers, and visitors, conducted via structured interview questions based on the outcomes of the Pedestrian Day Event held on 11-December-2021 on Laxmi Road market area and earlier efforts/initiatives taken to better the core city.
Read the full report here.
