No space for pedestrians to walk on Mumbai’s Marve Road, where speeding tempo killed teen

Experts said the area needs infrastructure upgrades to prevent pedestrian accidents; no footpaths and dividers on stretches of the road

The death of 13-year-old Muskan Memon, who was hit by a speeding tempo in Malwani on Tuesday, has raised concerns over the lack of road safety measures that put pedestrians in the area directly at risk.

The Malvani Marve Road, where a speeding tempo crashed into four children and then crashed into an auto-rickshaw. (Satish Bate/HT Photo)

Marve Road begins at Mith Chowky. The stretch from the Malwani fire brigade junction towards Madh Marve, lacks basic amenities such as footpaths and dividers.

Road safety experts said it was important to upgrade infrastructure to enable pedestrians to travel safely, without being at risk being knocked down by a speeding vehicle.

“They should at least construct a footpath for people to walk safely. Also, since there is no divider or a speed-breaker on the road, vehicles speed up here,” said Prem Newati, father of the three siblings injured in Tuesday’s crash.

Road safety expert Professor SL Dhingra said there was a need to conduct a safety audit, not just on that road but on all the roads. “Such audits help in analysing and taking into consideration the factors for road safety,” he said.

The traffic police undertake a road safety patrol programme, in which at least 500 city schools, including BMC schools, have enrolled.

Police personnel from the Mumbai traffic department hold seminars to inculcate a sense of road safety among young children.

“The topics include an emphasis on the use of footpath uses and the importance of walking on the left side of the road. This ensures that the pedestrian can see oncoming vehicles and that they are not blindsided. Such lessons are crucial for road safety,” said a former traffic policewoman, who was part of the training programme.

Ex-corporator Vinod Shelar of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) blamed MLA Aslam Shaikh for Tuesday’s accident.

“As the MLA, he should be at the helm of developing the roads. Our MP Gopal Shetty has taken the initiative to widen the road. The BMC has also issued notices to a few houses and establishments. Recently, a few establishments were demolished so the road could be widened,” Shelar told HT. He said residents would be relocated so work could go on smoothly.

Shelar added that once the initial arrangements are in place, then work can be carried out. Shaikh remained unavailable for comment.