The Bandra-Worli Sea Link was constructed and inaugurated on June 30, 2009 for a congestion-free drive, but now traffic at the entrance and exit points of this bridge has become a cause of concern for the authorities.
Increasing number of vehicles and the resultant traffic congestion has increased the waiting time at the toll booth. The Bandra traffic police has suggested that the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) take certain measures to cut down on the waiting time.
During peak hours on week days, there is 400-500 metre-long bumper-to-bumper traffic. This means eating up a minimum of 15 minutes of travelling time of the motorists, who take the sea link route to reach their respective destinations faster.
Pradeep Chavan, senior police inspector of Bandra traffic division, in a letter to the MSRDC has recommended a few suggestions to improve the situation at the Bandra-end of the sea link, where the toll post is situated.
As per the letter, the suggestions include erecting another toll post at the Worli-end of the sea link. To be precise, the spot zeroed in on is around 800 metres after hitting the bridge. "If a toll point is set up only for Bandra-bound traffic, it will decongest the existing toll post," said Chavan. There are 16 lanes at the current toll post and having such an arrangement will mean more toll posts for the Worli-bound traffic — 12 lanes to be precise. While the balance 4 lanes out of 16 can become free for easy movement of traffic heading towards the western suburbs.
The other suggestion is to round off the toll price. The present rate is Rs55 for a single journey and Rs82.50 for return journey and such a price tag consumes more time as exchange of monetary change takes place.
The third recommendation is to have a contact-less smart card, which will deduct money similar to smart cards available for public transport.
According to an MSRDC official, the waiting time is a cause of concern for them too, but having a toll post at the Worli-end would mean securing environment clearance and also revisiting tender clauses with the toll collection agency because of the cost involved in erecting the post. The second option, on the other hand, isn't possible due to the calculations involved in levying toll depending upon the project cost as well as the length of the road project.
The official added that the third option is already in place by issuing Radio Frequency Identification Device-based prepaid chip, wherein the amount is deducted automatically whenever a vehicle fixed with it passes the toll post. In order to promote its usage, two lanes (one in each direction) have been exclusively kept only for vehicles having RFID chips.
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