Mumbai coastal road: How road will change city’s map

Phase 2 of the Rs 14,000-crore project finally opened. Pic/Kirti Surve Parade

In the wake of the opening of the Coastal Road's northbound arm, experts shed light on how the stretch will impact the lives of Mumbaikars, among other things. Deepak Kapadia, 75, a Marine Drive resident and former president of the Western India Automobile Association, said, "I never thought I would see this in my lifetime." I was on the newly opened section yesterday [Tuesday] morning. It looked great. The drive was extremely smooth. I have seen this kind of infra abroad and we have it here, it was quite remarkable," Kapadia said.

Deepak Kapadia, former president, Western India Automobile Association. File pic

The biggest factor was the time difference with Kapadia stating that, "I took precisely 5.5 minutes from Marine Drive to Haji Ali." He added, "Usually, the stretch from Chowpatty and Pedder Road is very challenging with cars bumper to bumper, I missed all that. Zipping to Haji Ali was a good experience. I also think this will benefit a lot of vehicle drivers as the roads above, like Pedder Road etc. will also see fewer vehicles and get decongested."

Kapadia added that it is vital that, "the speed limit is maintained at 60 kmph in the tunnel. Limits must be adhered to, as a crash inside will create massive chaos and confusion. It was good to see significant police presence once one emerged at Haji Ali, so there was no confusion about where exactly one had to go. This has to be on for a few days at least. Project leaders have naturally put in a great deal of thought and planning, with reference to various aspects. The good thing is that once this has a connection to the Sea Link, one will get to the airport from South Mumbai in 20 to 25 minutes, no you are not dreaming south Mumbai," he signed off. Obviously, SoBo will not be flying only when on the aircraft, but flying ‘to' the airport too, maybe not business class or first class but Coastal Road class.

Options, please

The city, "needs mobility, and in that aspect, one more arm opening up on the Coastal Road is a good thing," said Praja Foundation Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Milind Mhaske. Praja is an organisation working towards enabling accountable governance. He added, "Having said that, I think planners, visionaries must also see that when public money is used, it must be for the larger good. Like here we should have prioritised enhancing public transport, increasing the number of buses, or trains perhaps, and looked at pedestrian infrastructure. I stress that this should have been prioritised, the Coastal Road and public transport is not an either/or option. It is a matter of putting what comes first when you have a certain budget."

A pyramid

Mhaske said that broadly, "there could be a pyramid: where there is a focus on public transport, pedestrianism, cycling, a parking policy which disincentives car ownership, provide more buses, more trains, the Metro and then the Coastal Road." The urban planning expert explained, "As a city, Mumbai has a public transport culture, we have a walking culture. We need to emphasise those factors; the city is designed for that. These are the aspects that should be encouraged. It also makes our city different from others. In this way, those unique and precious features that make Mumbai what it is are being snuffed out. Like I stated in the beginning, in a city where commuting is its heartbeat mobility is all. Yet, let us look at the many public options too that people can use, upgrading those and increasing accessibility, as these too are important on Mumbai's commuting landscape."