Mumbai: Less than ten minutes. That’s the time it usually takes for a commuter to cross the BKC-Chunabhatti connector using the Eastern Express Highway to reach most office buildings in the Bandra Kurla Complex. But during peak morning and evening traffic hours, covering this distance can take more than 45 minutes. To add to that, the situation on the other side, from the Western Express Highway, is no different.
The MMRDA has over the past five years commissioned key flyovers for use to improve BKC’s connectivity with the city’s two arterial roads, the Eastern Express Highway and the Western Express Highway. This, coupled with BKC’s boom, has led to denser traffic congestion within the business district, said a senior official of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) — the special planning agency for BKC.
The official added that increased traffic and the resultant pollution are now beginning to impact the BKC’s investment potential.
However, the MMRDA believes it has found a solution: a comprehensive transport plan to remedy the situation, decongest the plush business district and reduce emissions in the area. The authority has already floated a tender to rope in a consultant for the same.
“The plan will be integrated with technology solutions to address existing problems and future concerns which may impact the ease of access-egress at BKC by all modes and thus negatively impact the investment potential of BKC. The plan shall be developed with an overarching goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the BKC area and enable MMRDA to seek carbon credits,” the authority said in the bid documents.
ThePrint reached MMRDA commissioner Sanjay Mukherjee for comment via telephone and messages but had not received a response by the time of publication. This report will be updated if and when a response is received.
According to MMRDA’s estimates, more than four lakh commuters travel through BKC each day, and the existing modes of transport are woefully inadequate.
Establishments such as the Jio World Drive shopping mall and the Jio World Convention Centre have also added to the increase in footfall.
Going by the bid documents, the consultant who secures the tender to oversee MMRDA’s comprehensive mobility plan for BKC will review the current traffic situation and land use, besides the usage of the existing six km-long cycle track. Based on these assessments, the consultant will then suggest redesigning junctions, repositioning bus stops, ways to better optimise traffic signals, and smart parking solutions.
The plan will also include monitoring traffic using CCTV surveillance system, implementing policies related to and promoting the use of EVs, and providing proper footpaths and cycling tracks that don’t hinder traffic or compromise the safety of pedestrians.
Over the years, BKC has evolved as Mumbai’s prime business hub, with more than two lakh people working there in government offices, as well as private and multinational companies. The business district also boasts of a number of five-star hotels, the National Stock Exchange (NSE), a diamond bourse, and a large convention centre.
The MMRDA has been the special planning authority for BKC since 1977.
BKC is located between Bandra and Kurla, both of which have suburban railway stations that serve as hubs for interchanges. Moreover, the MMRDA is constructing two Metro lines which will pass through BKC — DN Nagar-Mandale and Colaba-Bandra-SEEPZ.
Till the Metro lines are ready, the only modes of transport operational within BKC are private cars, autorickshaws, taxis and public transport buses.
(Edited by Amrtansh Arora)
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