Mid-Day test drive: Why BKC's no-car day is a non-starter

As the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority MMRDA rolls out its voluntary ldquoPublic Transport Dayrdquo initiative in the BandraKurla Complex BKC every Friday a midday ground test found that poor lastmile connectivity long walks in the heat and infrequent BEST bus services continue to pose challenges for commuters travelling to the cityrsquos premier business districtA test conducted on foot and using available public transport options between the BKC Metro station and five major office destinations found that while Metro connectivity has improved access to the district reaching offices from the station can still involve long walks wait times of nearly 20 minutes for busesWhat is Public Transport DayEvery Friday MMRDA is encouraging employees professionals and government staff working in BKC to commute usinggtgt Metro servicesgtgt Suburban railwaysgtgt BEST busesObjectivegtgt Reduce traffic congestiongtgt Lower vehicular emissionsgtgt Promote public transport usageParticipationgtgt The initiative is voluntaryA crowded BEST bus inside BKC during evening peak hours Commuters reported long waits and limited availability of seatsBEST gears upTo manage increased commuter demand BEST will deploy officers at Bandra and Kurla stations during morning peak hours and at BKC in the evening to monitor passenger loads and arrange additional services if requiredBy the numbersgtgt 16 routes in BKCgtgt 125 buses currently serving the business districtgtgt 4 lakh passengers servedgtgt 2 lakh officegoers among daily commutersgtgt 33 buses on 4 feeder routes connecting Bandra and Kurla stations to BKCMetro station to ICICI Tower A midday reporter walks from BKC Metro station towards ICICI Tower during a ground test of lastmile connectivity in business district The walk covered nearly 1 km and took over 12 minutes PicsSatej ShindeWhat BEST plansgtgt Operate all scheduled BKCbound servicesgtgt Deploy bus inspectors along routes to monitor demandgtgt Divert buses from other routes if requiredgtgt Keep additional buses ready from the Dharavi and Kurla depotsgtgt Prepare further deployment plans based on onground observations on FridayMetro station to NSE A midday reporter walks from BKC Metro station towards NSETimeline What midday saw436 pm Walk begins from the BKC Metro station441 pm Heat and humidity become noticeable500 pm onwards Pedestrian movement increases across BKCAround 6 pm Large numbers of officegoers head towards the Metro stationThe walk from the BKC Metro station to the RBIBy 6 pmgtgt Bus stops become crowdedgtgt Queues form for BEST busesgtgt Several buses arrive already fullgtgt Boarding becomes difficult due to limited vacant seatsThe farthest walk this reporter took was from lsquoOne BKCrsquo to lsquoAqua line BKC metrorsquo a 15minute walk after the workday ended and it was slightly exhausting But there are areas in BKC that are easily a 2025minute walk from the nearest metro or local station and according to commuters this last mile is the most challenging part of their day after a tiring workday or to begin their day and work at office exhaustedMetro station to the Collectors office A midday reporter heads towards the Office of the Suburban District Collector during a test of public transport accessibility in BKC The office is located about 570 metres from the nearest Metro stationOrganisations joining initiative1 Bharat Diamond Bourse2 SEBI Chief Security Coordinator Colonel Gopinath K H3 Insurance Institute of India4 Small Industries Development Bank of India SIDBI5 Association of Members of G Block BKC MumbaiMetro station to One BKC The walk towards One BKC one of the longest routes in the test required commuters to cover around 136 km from Metro stationOfficial speakDr Sanjay Mukherjee Metropolitan Commissioner MMRDAlsquoOn Friday in a firstofitskind initiative MMRDA along with WRI has launched a Weekly Public Transport Day to be observed every Friday A small change like choosing public transport one day a week can bring incremental benefits to our cityrsquo As part of the initiative MMRDA employees have been asked to use public transport on FridaysDirectional maps and wayfinding signage inside BandraKurla Complex help pedestrians navigateVoices from commutersSampath Iyengar Regular BKC commuterlsquoExhausted officegoers have a reason for preferring private transport because the lastmile connectivity is very bad Reaching the BKC Metro station is currently either a long wait for buses or a 20minute walk after a long dayrsquoBrijesh ModiCommuterlsquoHave you arranged for special buses from the Metro 3 station to the main BKC Any other special arrangements made for public transport I seem to have missed the arrangements made by MMRDA tomorrow so that we all can take public transportrsquoReuben Canday CommuterlsquoI think this initiative wonrsquot see much success as public transport are already overcrowded on normal days This is what causes commuters to move towards personal cars and cabs I would personally avoid the public transport even more on the day Friday Public Transport Day because naturally it is going to be even more overcrowded than on normal daysrsquo