Mumbai choked: Andheri’s Model Town junction is overused and rapidly crumbling

Mumbai city news: Same old roads cater to more cars and people at Lokhandwala

More cars, more buildings, more people, little space.

Pramod Thakur/HT PHOTO

Model Town in Andheri (West), once a quiet locality, is now a major junction flanked by the Lokhandwala market, the Metro line and a super specialty hospital. It’s overused and rapidly crumbling .

The first problem: Infrastructure that has not grown as rapidly as the number of people living in Lokhandwala. The same old roads now cater to more cars and bikes, choking the road that runs from the Four Bungalows junction to Lokhandwala. To ease these jams, a signal was set up — the Model Town junction, which too is now unable to bear the load. Residents claim jams at the junction start at 8am, and continue till late at night. The traffic jams are made worse as vehicles moving towards the Lokhandwala market, north of the junction, get stuck on the market road — as shoppers park their cars haphazardly on either side.

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Traffic experts said the double parking is one of the major cause of jams, and that the effect is seen at Model Town junction, a good 1.5km away. “This kind of parking at Lokhandwala market is causing jams that spill over to the Model Town and Four Bungalows junctions,” said Sudhir Badami, a traffic expert.

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It’s not just motorists, pedestrians too have a tough time navigating the stretch. A BEST bus stop was recently moved farther away, and pedestrians said this forces them to dodge hawkers and poorly maintained footpaths.

“No one wants to follow traffic rules or lane discipline, making it difficult for pedestrians to walk,’ said Shreejay Kathe, a social media expert. “Footpaths are encroached by the homeless,” said Sanjay Bhushan, a PR professional.

The way out? Posting traffic constables through the day could force motorists to follow rules, said traffic experts. But HT saw the stretch was not manned, even during the peak hours. “The only solution is to prosecute those parking illegally,” Badami said.