When 7-min drive on Bandra-Worli sea link turns into 40-min nightmare

A minor accident choked the eight-lane Bandra-Worli Sea Link for over two hours during the peak traffic period on Tuesday morning, raising serious doubts on traffic management on the city’s showpiece structure. Only two lanes were opened to traffic between 8am and 10am when the accident took place.

Commuters were stranded on the stretch after a Worli-bound mini tempo turned turtle when one of its rear tyres burst. They had to settle for a 40-minute crawl when it takes just seven minutes to cross the sea link on normal days.

“Why should it take so long for the authorities to clear the damaged vehicle? Weren’t we promised a quick drive when it was finished?” asked an irate Sagar Ugale, who owns a transport business. Another regular commuter said, “It was a shock to be suffocated on a journey that is, on other days, takes a just few minutes.”

According to an official from the traffic police department, only two lanes on the Worli-bound part of the sea link were operational at the time the vehicle was being removed.

Senior MSRDC officials blamed it on over-speeding by drivers. “One must remember that all the accidents on the sea link so far have been caused due to rash and negligent driving. Motorists should take advantage of the sea link which helps them avoid more than 20 signals. However, it has been noticed that most motorists treat the sea link as a highway and indulge in over-speeding,’’ said an official.

He added that the speed limit of 50 kmph has been carefully set and traffic cops have been catching a number of motorists during peak hours for driving fast. “If an accident occurs during peak hours, other motorists are bound to suffer. The corporation or the traffic police cannot be held responsible for that,” said the official.

According to transport management expert Ashok Datar, there is a mismatch between traffic demand and supply at the Bandra-Worli Sea Link as not all of the eight lanes are opened entirely. Also, the problem of poor management of traffic is very serious across the entire city. Unless this fundamental issue is addressed such accidents and delays will keep happening, he said.