I want to file a list of complaints with the BMC regarding Andheri east. The traffic/road conditions in Andheri east are criminally bad. Daily it takes over Half hour for 2kms of drive, and of late it takes even upto an hour and half.
Andheri-Kurla road
1) The metro pillars are up, all digging is done. Why is all the mud not removed??!! It is all piledin the middle of the road, around the divider, in places it takes almost half the drive-able road!
2) The divider between the metro pillars is made. Why are the spare stone slabs still lying around on the side and middle of the road??!! Because of both above points:
- Pedestrians cannot walk or cross the road safely
- because BMC themselves is keeping the road SO FILTHY with all the mud, people also throw their garbage on that mud. The governing body should be a role model for cleanliness. If they only don’t keep things clean, the citizens will also think it is ok to throw filth here and there.
- The filth and mud flying adds to the already BAD levels of pollution from vehicles, making that road Impossible to breathe in.
- cars have lesser space and lesser number of lanes to drive in.
- there are major bottle-necks and chaos created in some places due to the mud and stones and it effects traffic. Autos and bikes start pushing into every gap possible to try and move faster. All of it makes it extremely difficult to Survive that road also.
3) The rains have been over for 2 months and all metro digging is finished (IF that is the reason the road is so poorly maintained). WHY then has the road not been repaired? Will BMC pay for all the damage it causes to Every vehicle that crosses that road? Will BMC pay medical bills for every person that breaks his back travelling on those Deep potholes??? There is not a single section of that road which is even smoothe enough to drive on normally at a speed of 20kmph.
4) If there are no potholes, the road is just uneven or broken. Every drain cover juts out of the road creating a bump, some loose drain covers cause the vehicle to bump on them. The road is so uneven that in places its like being on mountainous terrain. Half the road is in tar and part of it made with bricks – sometimes bricks are missing or the oin between the tar road and brick road is broken. All of this makes that road a Horror journey.
5) One cannot even start to talk about the traffic problems cause by Saki Naka junction. Every arterial road from that junction is a) thoroughly potholed and uneven b) on every one of the 4 roads from that junction, there are approx 3 major turns off that road within 200metres distance. It slows down traffic tremendously 24/7, every second of the day. Ive personally experienced a driving time of upto 45mins for a 1km stretch. Why cant the BMC traffic management be Any better!?
All the above is MAXIMUM 1week’s job for BMC. WHY do they not do Anything about it! Ask the residents of Andheri East how SICK they are of this daily traffic and travel, which has been their daily problem for over 2years now. Is it too much to ask BMC for- To have a decent road to drive on and to clean up their mess after they are done?
Rest of Andheri East
1) There is no metro construction on any of the roads in Andheri east, other than Andheri Kurla. Whatever damage is done to the roads, is due to rains. WHICH WERE OVER MORE THAN 2MONTHS BACK. Why is not a Single road repaired? Try driving down Marol main road or the road near SEEPZ. Disgusting. Again, not one single road is smoothe enough for the smallest patch also. Potholes, broken brick roads, up and down terrain, drain covers jutting out. Horror experience.
2) On Saki Naka (road toward Kurla) and Marol main road – there is no divider. Instead, in the centre of the road, there is a long Pit in the road. Some parts of the pit have broken more and widened, some parts have become deeper potholes. Having a PIT there itself causes more than enough trouble to the traffic.
3) 2-3 places where the break in the road was really bad, someone tried to Temporarily repair it more than 2months back. Why was a permanent solution not be executed? Those temporary “solutions” have already broken and the problem is back to square one, in fact those breaks in the road have become worse. There are Heavy trucks and cement mixers and buses driving on all these roads all day. Any small crack in the road also, these monster vehicles convert into huge problems. Why can that not be stopped by proper design and execution of roads! Or dont allow such ultra-heavy vehicles on these tiny roads!
4) BMC bus drivers literally think they are the kings of the roads. Even on 2 lane roads, they don’t care that they are driving Monster size vehicles and keep switching lanes and speeding. They make the roads a very scary place. Why can’t you train and give strict instructions to your drivers, along with fear of penalty (instead of only giving them fear of keeping to schedule). People make such a noise about Taxi-drivers speeding and driving badly, and penalties are levied on them for rash driving. Why don’t you take your own drivers to task for the same, whose potential for damage is MUCH HIGHER!?
5) Similarly, all the autos that are on these roads – Not one of them has Any traffic sense. How did they even get their license to drive from the RTO? They are a Menace on the roads, constantly disrupting traffic with their lane-changing and Bad driving. Why cant these people be penalized for this or atleast trained before getting a license!? All these auto drivers think they are above the law. They will refuse to drive to areas of high traffic congestion or bad roads, despite government rule that no auto/cab can refuse a fair. Is it the Government’s job to ensure proper Public Transport or not?! Why are these people allowed to get away with this and not taken to task by the BMC for the smallest rule of traffic they break!?
6) Andheri roads and traffic management are such, that if one Auto breaks down in the middle of a small interior road, or one small blockade is made on the side of one road, it has the potential to slow down the Entire Andheri East traffic! Can BMC justify that?!
7) Areas like Mahakali Caves road, Marol, Saki Naka etc – have SO many illegal encroachments that are built into the driving space/road. Due to this roads are not straight and bottlenecks are created. WHY DOES BMC NOT DO SOMETHING ABOUT THAT. In Marol for instance, on the main road, someone has built a small temple, that takes up the ENTIRE left side of that road, creating a major bottle-neck. WHY CAN THAT NOT BE REMOVED? Why does BMC not ask on whose authority did someone erect a structure on GOVERNMENT PROPERTY!?
Living in Andheri East has become a TORTURE and stress-filled experience. Is that what we pay 30% of our salaries to the Government for? Bad roads that break our backs and break our cars, traffic that moves at 5kmph literally making vehicles Glug down petrol, making us lose even more money in this already shaky economy?! Not to forget the physical/mental stress it causes!?
What will make the BMC realize IT IS HIGH TIME TO FIX THIS HUMUNGOUS PROBLEM THAT YOUR GOVERNMENT’s VOTERS LIVE WITH EVERY SINGLE DAY FOR OVER 2YEARS!!!
I am sure I can speak for every person who crosses Andheri East roads – WE ARE SICK OF THIS SITUATION. AND MAYBE ITS TIME BMC REALISED THAT AND JUSTIFIED THE TAX-PAYER’S HARD-EARNED MONEY.
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