12 January,2018 06:09 AM IST | Mumbai | mid-day correspondent
The year begins on a truly happy note for thousands of Mumbaikars who risk their lives every single day trying to cross the busy highway near Mahanand Dairy in Goregaon East. A report in this paper has informed that the much-needed foot overbridge (FOB) on this stretch of the Western Urban Road may be thrown open to the public next month.
Significantly, work on this bridge began around two years ago, and that too, after multiple complaints from city pedestrians, who frequent the area. Records show that numerous people have been killed while they were trying to cross the busy junction between Vanrai police station and Bimbisar Nagar.
It cost the BMC R2 crore to build this FOB, so citizens hope that it will pass the test of time. But, henceforth, pedestrians should make sure to use the two subways instead of using the highways and risking their lives, as well as those of motorists. It's not uncommon to find motorists complaining about how pedestrians jump into oncoming traffic in their bid to merely cross the road.
Often, it becomes difficult for vehicles, four-wheelers as well as two-wheelers, to apply the brakes on time or even slow down. And, it's unfair to book them if a pedestrian gets in the way, because, at the end of the day, it's a highway and high speeds are expected on these stretches.
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Given the death spot this area has become, the civic authorities should open the FOB soon. However, the onus is upon citizens, especially pedestrians, to ensure that the FOB is not abused. No one should be allowed to deface public property. Also, the BMC must ensure that hawkers and other encroachers don't turn the bridge into another commercial area they can use for business.
The bridge is a gift for thousands of Mumbaikars. Let's preserve it.
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