Mumbai choked: Going around in circles at crowded, jammed Juhu

Mumbai city news: Congestion here can’t be blamed on bad roads, traffic management; issue is the sheer volume of vehicles

Juhu Circle is quintessentially Mumbai: a roundabout and fountain built to beautify this suburb had to be broken down to make way for the ever increasing number of vehicles. Did it help?

Pramod Thakur/HT PHOTO

The constant jams at the circle — where five major roads converge and connect to the Western Express Highway, Juhu, Vile Parle, Versova, Lokhandwala and Andheri railway station — show it didn’t.

Home to film stars and Mumbai’s most popular beach, Juhu is a tourist attraction and witnesses heavy flow of traffic throughout the day, especially at this junction.

But, unlike other parts of Mumbai, the congestion here cannot be blamed on bad roads, lack of footpaths or poorly managed traffic.

The problem is the sheer volume of vehicles.

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“Owing to the increased signal timing, only a few vehicles pass through when the signal turns green. This creates a backlog as flow of traffic is continuous. The waiting time at the junction goes up by five times,” said Sudhir Badami, a traffic expert.

Indisciplined motorists add to the problem, said experts and commuters.

“Motorists don’t follow lane discipline. They drive recklessly despite the presence of traffic constables,” said Rupesh Singh, a businessman who stays in Lokhandwala .

HT found high noise levels from vehicle horns as drivers rush to prevent getting stuck at another long signal.

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Infrequent public transport is also increasing congestion.

Rakesh Kadam 28, an IT professional, said he takes an autorickshaw to get to Juhu from Andheri station.

“If the public bus service was more frequent, fewer people would take autos,” said Kadam.

Traffic expert Ashok Datar said a traffic congestion index should be developed and updated every year.

Authorities could use this index to come up with effective solutions to the issue of congestion at Juhu Circle, Datar told HT.