Abstact

AIR POLLUTION AND TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT IN PUNE: COMPARISON WITH THE SUCCESSFUL AHMEDABAD MODEL

Urban air pollution is becoming increasingly relevant in Pune today due to increase in the volume of traffic mostly due to private vehicles, especially two-wheelers. Pune being a metropolitan city that is expanding rapidly, there is a need for better connectivity and traffic control, as well as a suitable means of addressing the increasing pollution. In this paper we compare the public transport facilities, especially the Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS) in Ahmedabad, one of the fastest growing metropolitan cities in India, to that of Pune using remotely sensed data of the analysis zones. A large disparity between the two datasets is found. This paper then proposes how GIS can be implemented for efficient traffic management in Pune and for planning appropriate routes for improved accessibility, according to location of major areas. Better public transport will eliminate the compulsion to use private vehicles, consequently resulting in decrease in air pollution.