After a number of site visits and inspections, authorities decided to shift the auto pick up point to an open space under the sky-walk adjacent to the road. This has helped ease traffic movement
A joint initiative to decongest the eastern side of Bandra Station (AK Marg) is finally bearing fruit. With the collective effort of the traffic police, elected representatives, and BMC officials, the perennially-clogged road started clearing up after auto rickshaws were assigned specific pick up points; elaborate plans are being drawn to ease commuter as well as vehicular movement.
"Auto rickshaws that pool rides, would line up along two or three lanes, congesting the path. They would pick up passengers from the middle of the road, resulting in traffic pile ups. After a number of site visits and inspections, authorities decided to shift the auto pick up point to an open space under the sky-walk adjacent to the road. This has helped ease traffic movement," said Rajendra Rane, Senior Police Inspector, BKC traffic division.
He also pointed at the heavy pedestrian movement due to the foot-over bridge in the area. A possibility to extend the bridge to the other side of the road is thus being considered.
Haji Halim Khan, the local councillor who played a key role in organising meetings with auto drivers, said that there are over three lakh people who travel to BKC. They were compelled to waste a lot of time in commuting from Bandra Court to Bandra terminus; many even missed their trains.
"However, the designated pick-up point has resolved 70 per cent of the traffic mess. Our aim is to ensure that 1000 auto rickshaws get to queue up in different lanes without causing any traffic jam within the next six months. We need to create more space for this," said Khan. This is part of a larger plan to completely decongest the Bandra East station area, he added.
Khan said they were also working with the traffic police and BEST to shift the bus stops to a proper and bigger space, as this adds to traffic woes, too.
Abhay Bakshi, a corporate employee who works with a firm at BKC, said smooth vehicular traffic in the area comes as a pleasant surprise and that he hopes it to be a long-term relief. "A proper, government-approved share auto scheme needs to be initiated and action needs to be taken against all the illegal ones to introduce some discipline," he said.
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