MMRDA draws up traffic decongestion plan for BKC, suggests one-way system

The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority MMRDA on Sunday said that it has drawn a traffic decongestion plan for BandraKurla Complex BKC and suggested wider roads oneway traffic system etcThe MMRDA suggested that some changes needs to be implemented to improve traffic flow in the BKC one of Mumbairsquos busiest commercial and financial hubsEvery day nearly 2 lakh employees and 4 lakh visitors travel to BKC that spread across 370 hectares traffic congestionmdashespecially during peak hoursmdashhas emerged as a pressing challenge it saidDue to the shutdown of the Sion bridge most of the traffic has been diverted towards BKC MMRDA saidWhile the BKC lanes are designed for smaller vehicles heavy vehicles such as trucks and multicapacity transporters are now being routed through this stretch leading to increased congestion To tackle this situation both shortterm and longterm measures are being implemented it said adding that to deal with this MMRDA has developed a detailed traffic management plan based on current and future traffic growth public feedback and expert studies The plan has been approved in a recent meeting led by the MMRDA Chairman and will be carried out in partnership with the Mumbai Traffic PoliceConverting Cycle Tracks into Traffic LanesSeveral underutilised cycle tracks across BKC will be repurposed into vehicular lanes to expand existing road widths This conversion is projected to increase traffic capacity by 600ndash900 vehicles per lane Supporting infrastructure such as streetlights signboards trees bus stops and landscaped elements will be relocated to the footpaths to facilitate the expansionBenefits of Cycle Track RemovalAs part of this initiative the existing carriageway will be widened by removing the cycle track increasing lane capacity from 22 lanes to 33 lanesmdashan overall 5037 increase This enhancement is expected to reduce peakhour travel time from 25 minutes to 15 minutes saving 10 minutes which represents a 4037 reduction in travel timeAs a result the average waiting time at signals or bottlenecks will decrease from 10 minutes to 7 minutes saving 3 minutesmdasha 3037 reduction in waiting time This reduction in idling time will also lower carbon emissions Based on a petrol car emitting approximately 170 grams of CO per kilometre and considering a 23 km effective timedistance saving at an average speed of 40 kmh CO emissions during waiting time are expected to drop by 3037mdashfrom 1133 grams to 793 grams per vehicleThe proposed transformations includeExisting 22 lane 7m 7m with 27m cycle track rarr Expanded to 33 lane 97m 97mExisting 22 lane 7m 7m with 15m cycle track rarr Expanded to 33 lane 85m 85mExisting 11 lane 35m 35m with 15m cycle track rarr Expanded to 22 lane 50m 50mImplementation of OneWay Traffic System in BKCTo streamline internal vehicular movement and reduce congestion in the busiest sections of BKC a oneway traffic system will be implemented in BKC This solution backed by expert recommendations and traffic studies is expected to significantly enhance traffic flow and reduce bottlenecksThe MMRDA said Through the MMRDAs strategic plan we are enhancing BKCs infrastructure by expanding roads and implementing a oneway traffic system These measures will significantly reduce congestion improve travel times and make BKC more efficient and accessible for commuters This decision is the result of careful consideration of BKCrsquos growing economic importance and increasing footfallatOptionskeyd0ddb8ef8f1a62a8cdd22fac27fc5ea7formatiframeheight90width728params