Why the ‘walk to work’ concept envisioned for BKC failed

Commuters from Bandra and Kurla stations to BKC find themselves in a spot, thanks to poor connectivity of buses and autorickshaw drivers who are known to overcharge

MUMBAI: Suburban Mumbai’s jewel in the crown, Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC), is a swanky residential and business district. However, given the influx of people over the last 30 years, BKC still remains a project on the drawing board. As town planners continue to redesign approach roads and connecting flyovers for better accessibility, BKC’s harsh reality is its almost zero last mile connectivity.

Traffic jams in BKC are a constant due to on-going infrastructure projects. (satish bate/ HT)

Around four to six lakh commuters arrive here daily for work, a considerable section relying on railway stations at Bandra, Kurla or Sion. The closest railway station to BKC is Kurla at a distance of around 2 kilometers while Bandra suburban station is 4.1 kilometres away. While Kurla is the preferred point for travellers from the eastern suburbs and Navi Mumbai, Bandra serves as the access point for commuters from the western suburbs.

Wily auto drivers run amok

All three railway stations are surrounded by congested slums, making it a challenge for people to wend their way to reach their destinations. While there is a bus depot right outside Kurla station, the frequency of BEST buses to BKC is limited. On the other hand, BEST buses that used to run between Bandra station and BKC now operate from the depot located near the magistrate court. The shift was imperative in the face of wily autorickshaw drivers and the narrow pathway that made navigation a challenge.

A BEST spokesperson said, the transport body used to operate 11 routes around five years ago which has now touched 13 to connect to BKC, “but one of the biggest problems are the autorickshaws that block the road, which lead to traffic jams”.

BEST’s daily average passenger load to BKC is over 74,000 today, up from around 42,000 in 2018 and 48,000 in 2019. Clearly, 13 routes between Kurla and BKC are inadequate. This lacuna throws travellers to the mercy of share auto drivers notorious for overcharging and driving without a care for rules, putting passengers’ safety at risk. Traffic police mandated to act against the cavalier drivers pass the blame on regional transport officers (RTO), whose mandate is to organise a designated share auto stand and keep a check on illegal stands.

Drivers refuse to ply short distances, as it fetches them just ₹60 for the ride. The shrewd lot piles on passengers and charges ₹30 per person to make it a profitable run. “It is expensive for one to spend ₹120 just to travel back and forth from the station to the office,” said an employee with a multi-national bank, who lives in Borivali.

The cartelisation of auto drivers often leads to heated spats between drivers and commuters, leaving the latter with no option but to pay a price demanded by the drivers at will.

Dharmesh Jhaveri, a diamond trader at the Bharat Diamond Bourse in BKC, said, “It takes me over half an hour to reach my office in G Block from Bandra station as share autos do not go there. The commute time doubles in the evening.” He takes a train from Vile Parle to Bandra and thereon an auto to reach office. Over 50,000 people travelling to the bourse every day face similar hurdles.

Speaking about the ordeal of daily commute to BKC Suheil Merchant, a corporate communications professional, noted, “The only way to service the influx of people here with flawless commute is to have dedicated buses in rush hour. Apart from this, an audit must be commissioned to provide a pleasant experience to people in the commercial capital of the country.”

Until such an initiative is undertaken by the government, the working class from far suburbs will continue to be victimised, noted Dhawal Ashar, head of Sustainable Cities and Transport programme at the World Resources Institute. “BKC is situated at a location which is about two to three kilometres from Sion, Kurla and Bandra railway stations. So, one should be able to reach the periphery of BKC on foot effortlessly. However, the offices are scattered and cannot be reached on foot in time and therefore people have to turn to autos and buses,” said Ashar.

Calling attention to the menace created by autorickshaw drivers, outside Bandra and Kurla stations, KK Tiwari, an autorickshaw union leader said, “There have been several complaints following which attempts have been made to declutter the haphazardly parked autos by insisting on a queue system and taking action against drivers who overcharge.” He added, auto unions have often questioned if the drivers have relevant permits, driving licenses and other documents to ply the three-wheelers.

Plans for easy commute

When the issue was shared with an official from the RTO, he said, “We will look into it.” M Ramkumar, additional commissioner of police (traffic) however said his department “has been in constant talks with BMC and RTO to create an auto-taxi stand outside the Bandra and Kurla stations to decrease the menace of the auto drivers”. Commuters have yet to see some on-ground action emerging from these discussions.

Beyond the issue of public transport, two new spaces – Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre and the JIO World Centre – in BKC draw traffic into this area, given their collective busy events calendar. Last year, during the Backstreet Boys concert, the Mumbai traffic police had to tweet its warning to motorists about a very slow-moving traffic in the area when the concert was on.

On-going infrastructure projects in BKC contribute to jams as well. The footfall is expected to increase manifold once the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail corridor and metro rail projects become functional. The business district currently has a G-Block connector, Kalanagar flyover, a flyover from G-Block to Santacruz Chembur Link Road (SCLR) and a flyover connecting SCLR to the eastern express highway.

The traffic police stated, after construction of the BKC connector to the eastern suburbs, commuters are likely to prefer that route to the one through Dharavi or the SCLR. “As the BKC connector is a shorter commute, many motorists prefer that route adding to the traffic jams,” said Ramkumar.

To ease traffic, MMRDA, the planning authority for BKC, had recently decided to ask every establishment in BKC to rethink the need for compound walls in both private and commercial establishments. Officials argued, this would improve the option for people to walk, and also ensure that private cars and autos are not parked in a way that blocks traffic. “People can easily cross from one building or premise to the other. The security should be at the entrances of these buildings while pedestrians should be free to move around. Provisions for designated vehicle parking must be made without hampering pedestrian movement. BKC was built around the ‘walk to work’ concept,” said an MMRDA official, adding that permission to build compound walls in new projects will not be granted.

(Watch this space tomorrow for traffic challenges in Malad West.)