Plan formed to ease traffic around Mumbai Metro construction

The plan includes various measures such as reversible lane system, use of service roads for regular traffic, ban on road-side parking and effective towing, deployment of additional AC buses, appointment of 500 traffic wardens, installation of signages etc.

Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) and traffic police have come up with a traffic management plan in order to minimise inconvenience to be acused to commuters during Metro construction at various locations across the city. For now, the plan will be implemented on Western Express Highway (WEH) and the linking road between Dahisar and Andheri where Metro 7 and Metro 2A are being executed.

The plan includes various measures such as reversible lane system, use of service roads for regular traffic, ban on road-side parking and effective towing, deployment of additional AC buses, appointment of 500 traffic wardens, installation of signages etc.

In a press conference held on Wednesday, MMRDA commissioner UPS Madan said the Rs 25-crore plan is aimed at providing the traffic police required equipment and manpower. “We are providing 5,000 barricades, 50,000m rope, 200 Walkie-Talkie sets, 12 cranes, 300 flashers to traffic police. The plan will be implemented in one month’s time,” Madan said.

MMRDA has already started construction work for these two metro lines. After the conference, MMRDA handed over 15 motorcycles to the traffic police in presence of joint commissioner of police (traffic) Milind Bharambe for effective monitoring of traffic. About 27 more motorcycles will be given to traffic police soon.

Bharambe said strict action will be taken against illegal parking to ensure traffic situation does not deteriorate especially during peak hours. He added that measures such as reversible lane system, identification of critical locations, barricading of lanes and diversion of traffic will be implemented. “We are working on traffic study plan as any change on highway impacts traffic flow on connecting roads as well. Under the reversible lane system, we will use one or two lane from other side of the highway, where traffic flow is relatively less, to accommodate vehicular rush on particular side during morning peak hours. In the evening, the system will be reversed,” Bharambe said.

Meanwhile, Madan appealed to Mumbaiites to opt for car-pooling or taxi-pooling to help ease traffic congestion.