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• Pedestrians foot overbridges (FOBs) built across the highway stretch in Pimpri-Chinchwad limits hardly find any users. Even so, the Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation has planned two bridges at Chinchwad and Nigdi at a cost of Rs one crore.The 12-km highway stretch in Pimpri Chinchwad, between Nigdi and Dapodi has been widened to 61 metres and has eight lanes for traffic.For pedestrians, the civic body has built two FOBs, and a few underpasses, and subways. There are two small bridges across the highway - one near the PCMC's main building and the other at Chinchwad station.

• The two FOBs at Kharalwadi and Vallabhnagar are hardly used by citizens who complain that it is difficult for children, women and elders to use them. Instead, people cross the highway by jumping from the medians.Neha Shinde from Pimpri said, "The FOBs at Vallabhnagar and Kharalwadi are as high as three floors. Senior citizens find it difficult to climb."Amit Vartak from Chinchwad said, "The FOBs at Pimpri and Chinchwad are not of much use as one has to cross the traffic on the service road to reach it and cross the concrete lanes and again cross the traffic on the service road to reach the other side of the highway.""So these FOBs should be extended on both sides to reach the ends of the highway," he added.

• Chandmal Parmar, traffic expert and member of traffic mobility committee, PCMC said, "I am against the construction of the FOBs for pedestrians as only 5 to 10 % people use them. They are for display of advertisements and not built for the benefit of the pedestrians. Subways should be built for pedestrians to cross the roads."He added, "They should not be more than five to six feet deep as people do not like to climb too many steps. So the height of the road above the subway should be increased by two to three feet above ground level."Stalls or shopping centres should be allowed to remain open in the subway from 7 am to 9 pm to improve the security of the pedestrians using the subway, he added.

• The new FOBs will be constructed in about nine months once the work order is given after the municipal elections are over.While the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) is building elevators to the FOBs for senior citizens, women and children, those in Pimpri Chinchwad will not have any such provision."There is no proposal to have elevators. But we may consider it in future," an official said.The flyover at Nashik Phata chowk will be completed in 2013. The FOB will be constructed near Kasarwadi railway station before the flyover is completed to help pedestrians cross the highway.Bus passengers will use the FOBs to cross the highway once the civic body starts the Bus Rapid Transit service as the bus stops and shelters are located close by.

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