Move fancy bus stops from footpaths, say citizens

Residents in Mumbai's South district are unhappy with the installation of multi-purpose bus stops by the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) Limited. The new bus stops occupy the entire footpath, leaving no space for pedestrians to walk. The BEST has installed the bus stops in several high-profile locations, including Mantralaya, Nehru Planetarium, and Marine Drive. The bus stops cost between INR25-35 lakh each and also feature mini libraries, charging points and CCTV cameras. BEST officials said they would only look into the issue when they receive formal complaints.

Mumbai: Space starved citizens of South Mumbai have not taken kindly to multi-purpose bus stops installed by the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) Limited. They feel, the bus stops occupy the entire breadth of the footpaths, leaving so scope for pedestrians to walk.

The BEST has begun installing these fancy shelters, costing between ₹25-35 lakh each on Mantralaya, Nehru Planetarium in Worli, Marine Drive, Pedder Road and Mahalaxmi. In the northern suburbs, it is installing the units outside the international airport. Members of the Marine Drive Residents’ Association said the bus stops are being put up for commercial purposes and that they should be either removed or redesigned. They claim, while the width of the pavement is around five feet the bus stops take up four feet space. (Bhushan Koyande/HT Photo)

Marine Drive residents feel they are close to the boundary wall of residential buildings that the footpaths share. The earlier avatar with steel frames left sufficient space for the public to walk.

“The new bus stops are quite large and provide shade. However, they occupy the entire footpath, forcing people to walk on the road which is dangerous, considering vehicles speed up on this route,” said Mahendra Hemdev, a resident of Marine Drive.

The BEST undertaking has installed a shell of this multipurpose bus stop named Government Law College, after the institute situated Churchgate. Residents are upset that they were not consulted before the project was green-lit. A senior citizen, who regularly walks on this footpath and is a resident of a sea-facing building, said when she steps out several times a day, it becomes a task for her to manoeuvre through the crowds. She fears she may trip and fall, as a large crowd gathers for the service.

The BEST has begun installing these fancy shelters, costing between ₹25-35 lakh each on Mantralaya, Nehru Planetarium in Worli, Marine Drive, Pedder Road and Mahalaxmi. In the northern suburbs, it is installing the units outside the international airport. Members of the Marine Drive Residents’ Association said the bus stops are being put up for commercial purposes and that they should be either removed or redesigned. They claim, while the width of the pavement is around five feet the bus stops take up four feet space.

Ashok Gupta, who is part of the Marine Drive Citizens Association said, “There is no need of so many bus stops as Marine Drive is a residential area and not many people use buses. There are a few colleges in the vicinity but students predominantly take the train. The bus stops are being used by companies to advertise. They will also eventually pave the way for hawkers to hoard their belongings.”

BEST officials said they can look into the issue only when they receive formal complaints. A spokesperson for BEST said, “The relevant department will certainly resurvey based on the inputs they receive.”

At certain locations, the bus shelters also have mini book library. BEST officials are hopeful that travellers will flip through the books while waiting for a bus and expect people to donate as well.

These multipurpose bus shelters also have charging points for mobile phones and laptops. CCTVs and large LED screens are mounted as well, used by BEST to inform the traffic police about all those vehicles that are wrongly parked 15 meters on either side of the bus stop so that necessary action can be taken.

Plans are on to install such bus shelters at 600 locations across Mumbai.