15 January,2015 07:02 AM IST | | Shashank Rao
At the meeting with top officials from the Transport department, planning agencies, and the Traffic police, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis demanded a holistic plan to cater to transportation needs of Mumbai and Thane
Yet another comprehensive plan for Mumbai is in the making. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had a detailed meeting with senior officials from across different agencies in Mumbai, including MMRDA, BMC, the state Transport department, BEST, Mumbai Traffic police and other government departments.
CM Devendra Fadnavis has asked MMRDA to chalk out a long-term plan to integrate public transport in Mumbai, and widen transport networks. File pic for representation
Officials who attended the meeting said that the CM has asked them to create a long-term and short-term comprehensive mobility plan for Mumbai and Thane. In the short term, civic authorities would find temporary solutions for the city improvement of existing roads, connecting important roads like Swami Vivekanand Road and Link Road.
In the long term, the MMRDA is expected to come up with solutions for the betterment of Mumbai. Apart from integration of transportation systems mainly connecting the Metro, Monorail, suburban railways, auto rickshaw and taxi stands and BEST buses they also would look into creating wider transport and road networks.
Parking
Apart from this, civic authorities will attempt to solve the issue of parking spaces in Mumbai and Thane. Sources said that the chief minister has asked the BMC to utilise its grounds for parking autos, taxis, and commercial vehicles like private buses, trucks and tempos. "The BMC should identify locations where vehicles can be parked," he said.
Sources said there is presently a need to have dedicated parking lots for taxis and auto rickshaws, which otherwise park on roads. Every day, 1.5 lakh vehicles enter Mumbai, which, according to the officials, create parking problems. According to the BMC, there is a need for at least 50,000 parking spaces, because of which they are now working on the new parking policy.
The state government also wants to implement a master plan of Mumbai roads, comprising proposed coastal roads, Area Traffic Control, completion of Goregaon-Mulund Link Road, truck terminals, improving traffic at Kurla station and, finally, sufficient space for pedestrians.
A senior government official who attended the meeting said there is also a need for installing CCTV cameras that will not only be used for security purposes, but also for monitoring vehicular traffic. The state wants to expedite the process of placing high-speed cameras that will monitor vehicles breaching signals and zebra crossings, rash driving etc.
It also hopes that the revised draft of the Motor Vehicles Act is approved by the Centre and implemented soon. The revised Act proposes steeper fines and stricter punishments including cancellation of driving licences. To be sure, from 6.28 lakh vehicles in 1991, the city now has 24.75 lakh registered vehicles, as of September 2014.
