Tuesday 4 October 2016

SHUTTLES TO REDUCE CARS, BIKES IN AUNDH

TIMES OF INDIA,  OCTOBER 04, 2016
TIMES CITY, PUNE

Elaborating on the reasons for introducing the shuttle service, city-based architect and town planner Prasanna Desai said, “A lot of people, including housewives, children and the elderly, are forced to remain confined to their homes only because they don’t have a vehicle. There are many others who fear the parking hassles they would face if they drive out in a car to a destination not too far off. This shuttle would be of great use to all of them.Since it is open, clean and will operate at a frequency of every few minutes, we expect it to be the oxygen of the entire experiment as it will reduce the number of private vehicles.We hope the civic body can consider continuing the service even after the experiment.”

Area resident Vaishali Patkar is already confident of its success. “I take autos or taxis even for my local chores and this shuttle will definitely be convenient for me as it promises last mile connectivity all around Aundh. However, I should know the timings of the service well in advance so that I can utilize it well,” she said.

Municipal commissioner Kunal Kumar expresses hope for the system to be replicated all over the city in a phased manner. “What we are trying out is a futuristic model of urban transport. The idea is to get people to walk and cycle, and not think of driving their cars everywhere. However, this is only an experiment, which we will monitor very closely to identify the pros and cons. Successful elements can be tried out in other parts of the city. However, we are not looking at any immediate results,”he said.




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