Traffic Woes Voters’ Agenda

Which is the fourth most congested city in the world with 65 percent congestion, has seen the traffic situation worsening off late. And the citizens are bearing the brunt of this in their daily commute. Traffic congestion, parking issues and constant honking have become normal for Mumbaikars. Regional transport offices in Mumbai are handling more and more vehicle registration compared to earlier years. As a result, more vehicles on the roads and obviously the bottlenecks at various places of Mumbai. Traffic police and other government authorities have miserably failed to tackle the traffic menace.

Many people in the city are fully dependent on public transport. Buses and trains are often overcrowded. Traffic congestion is a significant problem in Mumbai, and peak traffic times can last several hours. Air pollution is very high due to the high number of old, inefficient cars and there is also little regulation of emissions from factories. Mumbai’s bustling roads face a silent menace—speed breakers that are either poorly marked or entirely unmarked, turning crucial safety measures into accident hotspots.

Mumbai was India’s most and the world’s fifth-most congested city in 2021, according to the traffic Index based on a study of 404 cities across 58 countries. It was the second most congested city globally after Moscow a year earlier. Unfinished development projects are more in Maharashtra and due to various land disputes, political impasses, and red tape they have been delayed more. So, from a lack of funds and incomplete projects to old structures and various habits Mumbai has become an unmanageable city. The pending constructions create bottlenecks and traffic pile-ups. The irony is construction of new Metro lines, underway to ease out traffic woos itself causing traffic. Construction on the Western Express Highway and Linking Road has resulted in major traffic congestion points as travelling time in those corridors has more than doubled.

After an extensive survey, Mumbai traffic police have identified five locations across the city which are worst-affected by traffic congestion. Referring to these locations as ‘pain points’, the traffic police have sent solutions to the departments concerned to resolve the traffic woes of the commuters. Many survey reports are gathering dust in the government offices. Many times it is seen that impractical decisions are taken putting the burden on the state’s coffer. Building bigger roads doesn’t fix Mumbai’s traffic congestion. Many traffic experts have brought this reality to the notice of the government. Still more and more roads and bridges have been planned for Mumbai.

Now the MMRDA is coming with a new proposal, the 58,000-crore proposal includes the development of roads, bridges, and tunnels encircling Mumbai from all directions, establishing connectivity to suburban regions as well as Gujarat, Konkan Maharashtra, and western Maharashtra.