BMC to repair 20 accident-prone blind spots in Mumbai

To make roads safer, the BMC, along with World Resources Institute (WRI) India and Global Designing Cities Initiative (GDCI), had initiated a survey to identify high-risk accident-prone zones in Mumbai between 2021-22.

In the survey, 20 black spots were identified, of which 10 were in the eastern suburbs, eight in western suburbs and two in central Mumbai. Some areas that had multiple blind spots included Ghatkopar, Andheri and Mankhurd (Govandi). Most of these roads are high-speed corridors and highways that lead to smooth north-south connectivity.

Civic officials said that during the survey, it was found out that most roads had uneven surfaces and didn’t have adequate space for pedestrians to walk. They added that certain points in the stretch of dividers were found broken.

“These locations are a priority since they record a higher number of deaths and injuries compared to other locations. We will introduce design changes at these locations to reduce the number of crashes,” Ulhas Mahale, deputy municipal commissioner (Infrastructure), said.

The BMC plans to widen pedestrian crossings and sidewalks to increase the available space. To minimise the distance between crossings, refuge areas will be created and traffic rumbles and speed breakers will be introduced to keep a check on speeding vehicles, officials said.

The officials added the signages will be improved and traffic intersections illuminated. Also, the existing alignment of these roads could be improved as a precautionary measure.

“The transformation will make the existing roads safer for all, reduce conflicts between pedestrians and vehicles and smoothen and streamline flow of traffic,” Dhaval Ashar, programme head (Integrated Transport) WRI India, said.

“We are complementing training BMC engineers and equipping staffers of the traffic police department with the knowledge of fundamentals of safe and sustainable street designs,” Abhimanyu Desai from GDCI said.

SOME ROADS TO BE REPAIRED

# Amar Mahal Junction, Tilak Nagar, Ghatkopar

# Intersection of Ghatkopar Andheri Link Road and Eastern Express Highway in Ghatkopar (East)

# Sion Circle Junction, Sion (West)

# King Circle Junction, Matunga (East)

# Chedda nagar junction, Ghatkopar (East)