Commuters said the WR needs to integrate the last step on the staircase with the existing road design, a report said in this paper
Bandra skywalk was shut on June 19, 2019 for safety reasons. Pic /Datta Kumbhar
The new footbridge landing at Bandra East has had commuters slipping and hopping. Regular commuters using the bridge said they had been complaining to local railway officials about the missed last step on the heavily used east-landing staircase, to no avail.
Commuters said the WR needs to integrate the last step on the staircase with the existing road design, a report said in this paper.
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The scenario outside Bandra station in the east is already in a mess with the skywalk shut, and aggressive auto drivers hoping to catch commuters coming out of the station.
It is absolute chaos with share auto drivers literally pouncing on commuters to ferry them and fill the three seats. They charge R20 a commuter.
With so much crowd and a manic Mumbai rushing to catch its last mile transport to the destination, it is lethal to have this slippery get-off point.
It can prove very dangerous during rush hour especially, and history has shown us that our stations have been ideal spots for stampedes that need just a small misstep or a person falling down and tripping others. This then can have a domino effect and can result in a huge tragedy.
Western Railway Mumbai division officials said they would get the staircase fixed and align it with the footpath and the road, the report stated.
That is heartening but the question now is when would that happen? Will they wait for some unfortunate event? Will the Railways and BMC play ping pong on whose responsibility this is?
We have seen all this unfold before. It is time to get proactive and see that this is fixed, commuter complaints in this case have merit and warrant corrective action. Let us not slip up on this one (pun intended).
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