Mumbai's Killer Roads: Bad road plan makes Kandivli a deadly stretch

Kurar GaonSamta Nagar KandivliThis spot on the Western Express Highway WEH in Kandivli is one of the busiest in the city Accidents in this area take place between the flyover and the bridge in front of Samta Nagar police station both during the day and night The spot has a bridge that has been extended but dividers on the side and in the middle have not The roads too are in a terrible condition When vehicles try to speed during the day the smaller ones end up being involved in mishaps At night its the trucks and containers that are involved in accidentsThere are several uneven patches on this stretch of road near Samta Nagar police station starting from Borivli to Andheri on the WEH which lead to accidentsCase studies On March 27 2017 around 530 pm two youngsters in their 20s Saad Teerandaz and Bilal Ansari students of engineering and hotel management from Rizvi College and residents of Mira Road were returning home on a moped A speeding vehicle knocked them down and sped off They lay bleeding on the road for 20 minutes without help and died in hospital later Bilals mother Marium said had people supported them and taken the boys to hospital quickly they could have been savedAccident victims Siddhesh Vengurlekar Saad Teerandaz and Bilal AnsariThe boys suffered head injuries despite wearing helmets They used to ride carefully Marium said adding The road engineering should be looked into by the government to prevent further accidentsOn February 6 2018 in another fatal accident at the same spot towards Andheri a moped rider Siddesh Vengurlekar 25 lost his life after he crashed into a divider and a large vehicle ran him overHis death however was due to a head injury that he suffered after falling on the divider Vengurlekar worked in a BPO in Powai and lived at Thakur Complex Kandivli with his mother Rupali younger brother Paresh and father Rajiv who is employed with MTNL Rupali said Rajiv had gone to see the spot of the accident The condition of the road is pathetic we never thought we would lose our loved one to a bad road she saidLocalspeakHemant Kambleresident KandivliThe road is bottleshaped after four lanes it becomes just two which is the biggest problem here Road engineers take politicians views and opinions into account more than the common mans The material for the roads too is not of a good quality resulting in the condition deteriorating and causing accidents Even banned paver blocks are used in placesPrakash SurveMLA KandivliI conducted a survey with the help of MMRDA officials three years ago where they admitted that the road condition was terrible But nothing has changed I have repeatedly written to the departments concerned including MMRDA but no one has responded MMRDA officials are to blame for the state of roads herePolicespeakBalaSaheb Ghadgesenior PI traffic Dahisar divisionThe road must be repaired regularly to avoid accidents Some accidents are the motorists fault It is important to follow lane rules For that it is necessary for authorities to place lane highlighters that are visible even at night They also need to regularly check and repair damaged parts of the roadExpertspeakDr Dewan Rahul Nandagroup chairman amp founder TOPSLINEGlobally roads are much safer than those in India because roads are constructed better and regularly maintained This particular spot at Samata Nagar Bridge is the perfect example of poor road quality with zero maintenance The stretch always has giant potholes If this issue is addressed properly I am sure a lot of lives can be savedProblemsOld bridge extended but is unevenRoad is in a very bad conditionDivider in the centre is too low and cant be seen at night SolutionsHeight of divider needs to be increasedPaver blocks need to be replacedSpeed breakers need to be put upTotal Accidents 14 For the year 201718TYPES of accidentsAccidents involving bikers who are unable to see the median on the bridge at night motorists and bikers who go over potholes on the stretch and lose balance and either crash into other vehicles or fall on the road and get run overTotal casualties 04 Deaths 03 Seriously injured 04 Minor injuriesSource Traffic departmentCatch up on all the latest Mumbai news crime news current affairs and also a complete guide on Mumbai from food to things to do and events across the city here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates