Commute

When the Mumbai Trans Harbour Link or Atal Setu was nearing completion, the most discussed issue about the project was not about it being an engineering marvel, but what the toll charges were likely to be. Whether it is the Mumbai-Pune Expressway or the Bandra-Worli Sea Link, when a project that improves the road connectivity for people, invariably tolls are charged - sometimes to recover project costs and later for maintenance. As more and more projects get unveiled, commuters feel frustrated about various toll charges they pay to use the roads that may ease and facilitate their travel, but escalate…

Sarjapura Road gridlock continues to haunt Bengalureans for several years now. Over the years, several solutions have been planned, but it has done little to alleviate the issue. The issues More than 15,000 cars (PCU) every hour at the Sarjapur Road-ORR junction 75,000-1 lakhs commuters - more than 50% of office goers take private transport Footpaths non-existent Last mile connectivity - There are no bus routes servicing inner roads. Some roads are too narrow for BMTC buses Metro on Sarjapur Road will take a few years What solution addresses this mess: Road widening, elevated ways and flyovers, more BMTC buses,…

Recently, a plethora of articles have flooded in both digital and print media regarding a downward spiral in the BEST bus fleet size. The numbers have fallen from 3749 in 2016 to 2959 at the end of last year. While the attention this issue receives is certainly warranted, let’s not overlook the broader transportation landscape of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR). The MMR spans an area of 6328 km², which is 14 times larger than Mumbai which falls under BMC limits (also known as Greater Mumbai). It comprises 18 urban local bodies and over a thousand villages forming a contiguous labour market around the Greater…

Fransisca Dantas, a visually challenged teacher, has a unique accessibility challenge while boarding the Mumbai local trains. She travels five days of the week from Andheri to Dadar by the local train for work. At Andheri, announcements about the arrival of trains, whether they are 12 or 15 coach, are erratic. This means passengers don't know where the women's compartment will be. Like other women commuters, she cannot run to get into the women’s compartment once the train arrives. “If it is a 15 coach, people start running helter skelter. With a first class season ticket I can get into…

Cantonment lies almost at the heart of Bengaluru, and has the city’s oldest Railway Station. It is presently being redeveloped as the fourth Railway Terminal of Bengaluru – after KSR City, Yeshvantpura and Sir MV Terminal. The earlier heritage facade will be replaced with a new modern look. The new features planned include a large air-conditioned concourse area, segregated arrival and departure points, ground + multi-level underground parking, a roof plaza / waiting area over the platforms, new green building features, new foot-over-bridges across platforms, etc. All this is planned for completion by the end of 2025. Proposed design of…

"I say no to passengers who want to go to Viviana Mall because of the service road traffic, " says Manik Patil, an auto rickshaw driver who drives from Kapurbawdi to Majiwada in Thane. The service road in question is a 1.3 km road that starts from Cadbury junction to Majiwada Naka Pokhran Road 2, near Thane’s biggest mall – Viviana Mall. Given its location, the road often ends up being a hub of traffic jams. A local resident Avinash Tripathi says, "Just a few days ago, it took me around half an hour to cross 500 metres on the…

On 22nd January at around 9.00 pm, three employees of Western Railway, Vasu Mitra, Somnath Lambture, and Sachin Wankhede were mowed down by a train as they were attending to a point failure on the railway track between Vasai and Nalasopara. The repair work was almost completed, when a fourth employee, who was deputed to signal the arrival of a train was sent to Vasai station to bring some tools, thus leaving them oblivious to the train approaching them, says one Vasai Road Railway Police official. This accident comes close on the heels of a report released by the GRP…

The infamous Outer Ring Road (ORR)-Sarjapura Road traffic chaos is something every Bengalurean knows of. Some of us living in the neighbourhood live through this every day. All thanks to the poor quality of both the road network and public transport services. Neither planners nor politicians have paid enough attention to this area to make it livable! Sarjapura Road is an integral connection to the IT corridor of south-east Bengaluru. Given that the Outer Ring Road (ORR) is almost fully developed, with a focus on tech parks, new residential projects are happening on or around Sarjapura Road, especially the sub-arterial…

Bandra, Mumbai’s most sought-after suburb, has attracted both Indians and foreigners alike for its historic forts and seaside walks, blend of cultures and food, and its celebrity appeal. Yet the charm of the so-called “Queen of Suburbs” is being threatened by the frenzied pace and volume of construction and infrastructure projects going on simultaneously.  As the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) approves luxury high-rises and initiates yearly infrastructure projects, residents of the locality have voiced a concern that these projects are more superficial than substantive.  Once-peaceful streets have been reduced to one-ways or blocked by one project after another, sometimes overnight.…

The perception that HSR Layout is as an upmarket neighbourhood has led to public transport infrastructure being ignored in the area. The common notion is that its residents prefer to drive rather than use buses. The reality, however, is quite different. There is a large number of deprived communities who live in areas around HSR layout, such as Mangammanapalya, Parangipalya, Bommanahalli etc. These communities rely heavily on public transport, which ply on busy roads such as Hosur Road, Outer Ring Road (ORR) and Sarjapur Road. The people here work long hours for a pittance, and commute long distances everyday. Unfortunately,…