Pedestrians forced to walk next to vehicles on Delisle bridge

There are no signal or speed breakers on this stretch of the bridge coming from Deepak Cinema, so vehicles come in fast speeds. But we’re all in a hurry to catch our train, and it’s a lot more inconvenient and takes more time to use the other side to get to the Central Line

Mumbai: With temporary barricades kept on one side of the recently opened Delisle bridge, pedestrians are forced to walk in traffic to get to their destination. This is particularly so for those coming to and from Currey Road railway station, which falls on the Central Line.

Mumbai, India. Feb 22,2024 - Pedestrians walked on Delisle Bride in Parel, after 5 year Delisle bridge fully opened up to motorists. People complain that there is no footpath for pedestrians.Feb 22,2024. (Photo by Raju Shinde/HT Photo)

“I agree it is dangerous to walk on this side,” said Alita Fernandes, walking from her office in Lower Parel to Currey Road on Thursday evening. “But the reason I chose to walk here, as opposed to the other side of the road where there is some semblance of protection with the barricades, is that the crossing up ahead is far more dangerous. There is a signal that I’d have to cross to reach Currey Road station, and it’s a four-way junction with many vehicles not obeying the signal. I would rather take this danger than the one that comes with the crossing.”

Another walker, Anupam Kumar, said, “There are no signal or speed breakers on this stretch of the bridge coming from Deepak Cinema, so vehicles come in fast speeds. But we’re all in a hurry to catch our train, and it’s a lot more inconvenient and takes more time to use the other side to get to the Central Line.”

The walkers mourned the absence of the footpaths enclosed by railings that adorned both sides of the previous bridge.

Even those walking on the sides of the bridge with the temporary railings were not sticking to them neatly. One walker, who did not want to be named, said that the walking lane got too dirty, and was too crowded to manage walking within the tiny lane, as people walk in both directions.

When the BMC opened the bridge on November 23, 2023, after a five-year wait, they had promised four new staircases and two escalators to ease pedestrian movement, but these are not yet in use. These pedestrian walkways beside the bridge, are hidden behind the shields that surround the bridge. Sanjay Kaundanyapure, chief engineer in charge of bridges, said that the four staircases leading to the walkway would be opened up by March end, and the escalators by May.

“Even if there is a separate pedestrian walkway, there should have still been a footpath as it’s a safe option for pedestrians who won’t have to look for an access point and if the walkway will take them to their intended destination,” said Vedant Mhatre, program director of The Walking Project. “The other question is why isn’t the pedestrian walkway ready yet, three months after the bridge was opened and five years after it was first closed?” Despite repeated attempts, officials from the bridges department could not be reached for comments.