Rail line, bus lane on sea link can help: experts
Government says it is not possible to do so now
Government says it is not possible to do so now
While London has successfully managed to attract its private vehicle owners to start using citys super efficient public transport system, Mumbai is still trying to convince people to give up their cars. Traffic experts in the city feel there is an urgent need for an integrated rail and road transport system lest we want people to spend hours at traffic junctions honking incessantly and cursing each other.
Why are crores being spent on the construction of flyovers, asks PC Sehgal, managing director of Mumbai Railway Vikas Corporation. Flyovers, he says, will only increase the number of vehicles on the roads and further city’s traffic woes. Integration of rail and road network will help decongest roads in the city, he says.
The ambitious Bandra-Worli Sea Link (BWSL) will provide fast moving outlet from the island city to the western suburbs and vice versa. Traffic experts say using half of the BWSL for Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS) and the remaining for rail network will help to ease citys traffic woes. Senior railway officials are also of the view that the eight-lane expressway can be best utilised if two or four of its lanes are used for the rail network. The railway officials are in talks with the state government on having parallel rail links on the flyovers, especially the BWSL.
But, Anil Deshmukh, minister of public works department, is unimpressed with the proposal. How is it possible to run trains simultaneously with vehicles, asks Deshmukh, who is also the managing director of Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) which in-charge of constructing BWSL. Asked whether the government would alter its plans and incorporate the changes, he says, No, it is not possible.
Deshmukh says the bridge is ready and will be used for cars. We will, however, reserve one lane on either side of the BWSL for BRTS.
It may be recalled that John Ross, economic adviser to the Mayor of London, had pointed out while 78 per cent people use public modes of transport in Mumbai, London has only 24 per cent using the rail and bus network. This clearly shows the pressure on the existing rail and road network in Mumbai, he had said.