With efforts to reduce traffic congestion coming a cropper, a core mobility plan is on cards in the new development plan of the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) to decongest roads in the central parts of the city.

Municipal Commissioner Mahesh Zagade said the civic body is working on plans to resolve the traffic issue in the old city. “All possible ways would be tried out to arrive at a solution while protecting the essence of the old city,” he said.

The civic administration is also in the process of appointing a private agency for preparing the core mobility plan for the old city. This will form part of the new development plan and will help in seeking a permanent solution to the congestion on the city roads, PMC development engineer Dinesh Girolla said.

The plan will be prepared after an extensive survey of the area, its geographical, historical importance and use. This will be in addition to the study on the existing traffic flow of private and public transport vehicles on these roads, he said. “The most important thing is that it will form part of the new development plan that is being prepared for the city and this will ensure the effective execution of the plan.”

Sujit Patwardhan, a traffic expert and member of the PMC steering committee for development plan, said the idea of a core mobility plan for the old city jurisdiction emerged during a discussion on promotion of non-motorised transport (NMT) in the city. “If successful, it will achieve the dual purpose of decongesting the crowded roads of the old city and developing the area into a heritage village.”

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