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Fast and furious at Borivli Natl Park

Parking of tourist buses opposite SGNP results in long traffic snarls, whereas rash driving by authorities in the core area threatens wildlife

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Parked tourist buses opposite SGNP leave only one lane for the perennially moving traffic towards the north
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The private tourists buses operating from Borivli have always proved to be a traffic nuisance on the Western Express Highway. With the ongoing Metro (Dahisar to Andheri) work, they have now become a nightmare for motorists who get caught up in long traffic snarls during peak hours everyday.

It is estimated that over 800 buses ply daily towards Gujarat and Rajasthan from opposite Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP). Earlier, many of these buses used to be parked under the flyover, but after being evicted from there, they started lining up on the highway itself, leading to traffic jams for vehicles moving towards Dahisar Checknaka.

"These buses are parked from the start of the SGNP junction till the Dahisar river bridge close to the ongoing Metro work. These buses occupy not only two but three lanes leaving only one lane for traffic movement. This causes major traffic congestion," said Vilas Shinde, a Borivli resident who travels daily to SEEPZ. He added that while these buses have been causing traffic issues for years, the ongoing metro work has compounded the problem on the northbound lane.

Karan Sharma, another motorist who uses the same route, said that he has never seen a traffic cop regulating these buses. "These buses are parked on three lanes and don't follow traffic rules. At times in the evening, traffic jam extends up to Devipada signal, as well as the road leading to Borivli railway station on the eastern side. Also, parking can be seen on the southbound lane as well. With the ongoing Metro work, these buses should be allowed only to halt after the SGNP flyover ends on the north side," he said.

Gopal Jhaveri, a Borivli resident who had previously raised the issue of these tourists buses with the traffic police, said that this was bound to happen as the traffic department failed to foresee that with the Metro work these buses will only become a bigger problem for the non-stop traffic.

"We have been complaining about these tourist buses for over two years now — from the time when they stood under the flyover — where traffic movement has been allowed now. However, since thousands of people board these buses daily from this spot, one cannot ban them from standing there but they can be regulated or the pick-up area can be designated to a different location," he said.

Siddharth Shinde, Senior Police Inspector, Dahisar Traffic Division, agreed that the parking and movement of buses at the junction cause traffic jams. "We have posted our men at the spot and we are also thinking of conducting a meeting with bus operators to come up with a solution so that the traffic movement is not held up. The problem is that there is no other space for these private buses to pick up passengers," Shinde said.

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