Pune: Wadgaonsheri MLA Bapu Pathare has demanded the removal of the BRT lane along the Vishrantwadi Road stretch, following the dismantling of BRTS infrastructure on Nagar Road last year.On Tuesday, Pathare held a meeting with Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Limited (PMPML) officials to discuss various issues related to public bus transport services. During the meeting, he raised concerns about traffic congestion on Vishrantwadi Road and called for the removal of the BRT lanes to ease traffic flow.The MLA said Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) and PMPML should deliberate on the proposal and take appropriate action. He also emphasised the need to strengthen bus services on both Nagar Road and the Vishrantwadi-Alandi Road corridor, citing the steady rise in daily commuters.Last year, PMC removed had BRT lanes from a major stretch of Nagar Road following demands from residents, who had sought the opening up of road space for all types of vehicles. Prior to this, BRT lanes were removed from the Sangamwadi Road stretch.Regular commuters on Vishrantwadi Road said traffic volumes had increased manifold over the past few years on the Vishrantwadi-Alandi Road. Santosh Pille, a resident, said while removing the BRT lanes could help improve traffic movement, the benefits would be limited unless PMPML upgrades its bus services on the route. “There are no direct bus services from Vishrantwadi to several parts of the city, forcing residents to rely on private vehicles,” he said, urging PMPML to introduce buses on more routes to reduce this dependency.Another resident, Ajay Sathe, said the authorities should carry out a detailed study of bus operations on the Vishrantwadi route before taking any decision on dismantling the BRTS infrastructure.
