Speeding cars and hit-and-run cases are a common sight on Mumbai roads. So are the resulting traffic jams and public vehemence.
Another accident on the Western Express Highway highlights the need for pedestrian-friendly roads
Speeding cars and hit-and-run cases are a common sight on Mumbai roads. So are the resulting traffic jams and public vehemence. Late on Wednesday night, a speeding BEST bus crushed a 50-year-old man to death on the Western Express Highway near Jogeshwari.
An angry mob of nearly 1,200 people blocked the highway and SV Road causing a traffic jam up to Santa Cruz till late in the night.
The furious mob pelted stones at police personnel, when they tried to stop the agitation. There were also demands that the Shankerwadi subway near the place of incident be opened for public use with immediate effect.
The issue of subways has been a concern to the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) which is accountable for the Western and Eastern Express Highways. SR Nandargikar, chief engineer of the MMRDA said: “We have identified several locations on both the highways for construction of subways and the Shankerwadi subway will be operational within two weeks.”
Though there is a feeling that more subways would prevent such hit-and-run cases, the MMRDA has a different explanation.
“There were several proposals to construct subways at various sites on both the highways but public resentment to use the stepped subways has prevented them from materialising,” said Nandargikar.
“This is also the problem with construction of foot over bridges,” he added.But motorists believe that blaming them of negligence while driving isn’t fair.
Satish Bhature, a Borivali resident frequently travels on the Western Express Highway, said, “People just don’t want to wait for the traffic to ease before they decide to cross and in the event of their hurry they meet with an accident,” said Bhature. “However it’s a common practice to blame the motorist whenever an accident occurs even if it’s not his fault,” he added.
Andheri (east) resident Abhishek Jain shares same opinion.
“Often people don’t want to make the effort of using the subways or foot over bridges and are in a hurry to cross the road. It is this hurry that ends up in fatal accidents and the people blame the car driver,” says Jain.
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