Mumbai: Time to replace soft bollards with hard dividers?

A BEST bus stuck on bollards at the Dahisar toll naka flyover on November 13. When mid-day visited the spot a few days ago, the posts hadn’t been replaced. Pic/Ashish Raje

Broken bollards (short posts used to prevent traffic from entering certain areas) are hindering efforts to control traffic and ease vehicular congestion on the Western and Eastern Express Highways. mid-day visited both stretches to find that several damaged bollards had not been replaced and were largely overlooked.

Traffic department sources claimed they had written several letters to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to fix broken poles but received no response from the civic body. Generally orange in colour, bollards are placed at either end of flyovers to indicate diversions to motorists. Their main aim is to prevent accidents.

"If you see broken bollards, it means that someone had rammed into them while speeding. We usually write letters to the BMC, telling them to replace broken posts," a police officer attached to the traffic department said on condition of anonymity.

Western Express Highway

Damaged bollards on the stretch between Bandra to Dahisar toll naka. PIC/ASHISH RAJE

While travelling from Bandra to Dahisar, several broken bollards could be seen along the 25.3-km Western Express Highway. In several cases, many were entirely missing and some were strewn on the road, acting as obstacles for vehicles. At one spot, bollards had been placed on top of a concrete slab for some reason.

Dahisar toll naka
A few kilometres away from the toll naka, this reporter saw a BEST bus that had gotten stuck between broken bollards, briefly exacerbating traffic congestion. With the help of motorists and passers-by, the bus was eventually moved, clearing the path for vehicles.

Thakur Complex flyover in Kandivli East. PIC/ASHISH RAJE

Thakur Complex flyover
Drivers could be seen dodging broken bollards near the Thakur Complex flyover in Kandivli East to avoid accidents.

Damaged bollards at Kalanagar flyover in Bandra East. PIC/ASHISH RAJE

Kherwadi junction
Bollards at this spot, near Bandra East station, seemed intact and in better condition than their counterparts on the other Western Express Highway. mid-day spotted two-wheeler riders ramming into a line of bollards in a bid to overtake vehicles due to which the posts were bent out of shape. "Bollards are set up in a V shape near at either end of flyovers. Drivers tend to ram into these posts, which are meant for their safety," said the officer.

Eastern Express Highway

When this reporter travelled from Mulund to Byculla railway station and back again via the 23.5-km Eastern Express Highway (EEH), the bollards set up along the stretch in question appeared to be in slightly better shape compared to the ones on the Western Express Highway.

Congested spot at in Ghatkopar East. PIC/RAJESH GUPTA

Ramabai Ambedkar Nagar
Broken bollards could be seen in this area, in Ghatkopar East, which appeared to be congested though traffic was swiftly flowing. Four-wheeler drivers were seen to be carefully turning their vehicles to keep clear of bollards while two-wheeler riders were also dodging them.

The spot near the Metro 6 car depot where a significant number of bollards were missing. PIC/RAJESH GUPTA

Metro car depot
A significant number of bollards were clearly missing or broken on the stretch near the site of the under-construction Metro 6 car depot in Kanjurmarg. Diversions were not clear to motorists and two-wheeler riders due to this.

The stretch towards Thane on the JVLR flyover. PIC/RAJESH GUPTA

JVLR junction
According to the traffic police, at least 20-30 bollards are placed in a V shape on both ends of flyovers. Bollards were found to be broken on the JVLR flyover stretch towards Thane and near the Kurla flyover towards Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus.

The missing bollards at the Kurla flyover junction. PIC/RAJESH GUPTA

Official Speak

According to the police, the traffic department writes letters to the BMC regularly and a decision is taken to replace broken bollards at regular intervals. "Once we see that bollards are missing, we write to the BMC, asking that they be replaced," the official said. A BMC official told mid-day that the civic body acts upon receiving letters from the traffic authorities. "We frequently change bollards," the officer said.