The roads of Mumbai - A reality check I love to drive. Driving down the Eastern Express highway to my office is a pleasure. A travel time of just 25 mins from Vasant Vihar - Thane to Vikhroli speaks volumes of the connectivity between these two suburbs. You can drive your car at greater than 100kph and enjoy the experience.
However, post the July 26 deluge that had Mumbai reeling, a lot has changed.The eastern express highway is no longer a bed of roses. Pot-holes that have been shabbily repaired greet you at Mulund signal. If that ain’t enough, getting from Vasant Vihar to the highway via ghodbunder road takes about 15 minutes these days than the usual 5.
Open and carelessly protected manholes greet you at the junction. Driving on the ghodbunder road these days is akin to taking a boat ride on a rocking sea ! The Eastern Express highway still maintains its prestige though. You can still drive at 100kph provided you know where the pot-holes exist.
The once carpet-clean road is now no longer what it used to be, but is still one of the best roads in Mumbai to drive on considering the state of the western express highway and the hep suburbs of Andheri and Powai. Being an ardent biker, today, I would not vouch for any rider to drive daily on these roads. They are risky especially at night.
Some of the sections may not be well-lit and may thus lead to an accident. Even the interior roads are in bad shape. Being a citizen of Vasant Vihar - Thane since the past 3 year’s, I have been witness to the changes that have been effected in this area. Multiple high rise buildings have led to more people moving in and more traffic on the roads. I remember distinctly the road near vasant vihar circle was completely washed out due to the rains. Its still not very motorable.
I still have to take pains going to my favorite cafe’ coffee day outlet via this road. The government just isnt doing enough. Just simply patching up the roads isnt going to help. Even the patches are badly done. The government must give a serious thought and give the contract to people whom they know will do a good professional job so that the roads withstand the tests of heavy vehicles and even heavier rainfall.
Concretisation is also a good option, though impractical given the costs in measures of time taken. They have to act fast. A lot of people commute to south Mumbai from Thane and it is imperative that the government works on improving the health of the roads to enhance connectivity. I wish to add no comments here about the western express highway. I have not been on that road post July 26. But let me tell you what I have heard.
The govenrment I believe had advised people NOT TO DRIVE on the western express highway due to its state in which it was post 26/7. Considering this, I believe we are much much better off. I end this article on the optimistic note that in the few minutes that I have spent writing this article, another pot-hole may have been repaired, another manhole been covered and another road been made motorable !