Mumbai: A redesigned Mith Chowky in Malad was unveiled by the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM) and the Mumbai Traffic Police on Tuesday. One of the busiest intersections in the city, Mith Chowky is being redesigned on a trial basis as part of a special project to make at least 10 junctions in Mumbai pedestrian friendly.
So far, Mith Chowky and HP Junction in Bandra have been redesigned as part of the project, which has been undertaken by the Bloomberg Philanthropies Initiative for Global Road Safely (BPIGRS) in collaboration with the National Association of City Transportation Officials Global Designing Cities Initiative and the World Resources Institute.
Last week, officials conducted a trial in Mith Chowky to implement the best global design strategies. The aim is to reclaim 1,650 square metres of underutilised space at the junction for pedestrians to use. Volunteers and policemen at the junction will guide pedestrians and ensure traffic flows smoothly. The aim is to demonstrate to civic authorities and traffic police a feasible traffic management plan that the State can implement on a permanent basis.
Kelly Larson, director of BPIGRS, in a press conference held on Monday said the team’s main objective was to save lives as 1.3 million people in the world lost their lives in road accidents.
Utilising free spaces
Ms. Larson said, “We know how to reduce fatalities and crashes. We wanted to work in the cities because that is where most accidents take place. Mumbai is one of the 10 cities we have chosen to execute our innovations. We will have to go through strong laws and we will be able to do it. We need everyone to work together on this. We have seen improvements since we started working in 2015.”
Mumbai reported 562 road accident deaths in 2016 and most victims were pedestrians. Studies carried out at Mith Chowky and HP Junction showed there were many free spaces which can be utilised to ease traffic jams and the protect pedestrians from accidents.
The World Resources Institute with the help of students redesigned HP Junction overnight. A survey showed that more than 80% of the residents were happy with the change which were put in place for 46 days between March and May. Now efforts are being made to make the changes permanent.
At Mith Chowky, free turning lanes will be narrowed, corner radii will be tightened to avoid speeding and pedestrian sidewalks will be widened. Ms. Larson said, “We have identified problems face by pedestrians while crossing roads, especially the elderly, handicapped and children. We tried to solve the congestion and create shorter crossing paths. We have tried to redesign the streets according to the requirements of each vehicle. Protecting pedestrians is important to us. One person dies every 30 seconds in a road accident. This is a very scary figure.”
Sanjay P. Darade, Chief Engineer (Roads and Traffic) MCGM, said, “About 50% of victims are pedestrians and we are trying to make sure it is a safe place for them. We will start working in CST and Churchgate areas soon.”
