Mumbai skywalks: Crores spent on 26 structures, are they serving pedestrians?

Mumbairsquos 26 skywalks built as a ldquosaferrdquo alternative for pedestrians crossing busy roads appear to be struggling to justify the crores of public money spent on them The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation BMC alone has spent R28658 crore on the few skywalks it constructed while the overall expenditure is likely to be higher if the cost of those built by the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority MMRDA mdash which account for the lionrsquos share of such structures in the city mdash is added When midday asked the MMRDA how many of the skywalks it had constructed and at what cost the latter refused to share the informationA handful of pedestrians use the Borivli West skywalk on SV Road last Thursday morning PicSatej Shindepopcorn numberRs 28658 cr descCost of skywalks built solely by BMC classDefaultHigh costs notwithstanding only 397600 people use the cityrsquos skywalks daily according to BMC data Mumbairsquos population is estimated at around 125 crore according to the 2011 census Even if only 50 lakh residents are assumed to step out daily for work education or other purposes the current usage of these skywalks remains below 10 per cent of that figurepopcorn number26 descTotal no of skywalks in Mumbai classDefaultNana ChowkPedestriansrsquo main concernsHeight issuesArshita Shah Charni Road residentlsquoBy the time I reach the top I feel like I have climbed three floors If I am already tired after travelling or carrying bags I would rather wait and cross the road than take such a long climbrsquoA handful of pedestrians use the Borivli West skywalk on SV Road during peak hours on the morning of August 20 PicsSatej ShindeIsha Khatu Borivli residentlsquoSkywalks are supposed to make walking easier but the first challenge is simply reaching them The number of steps discourages even regular commuters who are tired from climbing the equivalent of several flights of stairs in a building after a long and hectic work dayrsquoAvailability of escalatorsAshutosh Revale Malad residentlsquoOnly a few skywalks have escalators and even then you cannot see them being operational many timesrsquoAshwini Pathak Wadala residentlsquoCommuters should not have to stand and wait or climb stairs because the equipment has stopped workingrsquoNo liftsOlive Dsilva Wadala residentlsquoHow is my elderly mother supposed to use the skywalk Asking her to climb several flights of stairs is simply unrealistic and inhuman There should have been lifts from the beginning right from the time the very first skywalk was being constructed This clearly shows lack of complete will and super lack of visionrsquoThe skywalk in Wadala East PicShadab KhanVaishali G Borivi residentlsquoHave the authorities built these skywalks just for namesake or did they actually have the intention of making it as a facility More than a facility these skywalks are turning out to be hurdles in an alreadypacked cityrsquoSuffocating sheetsKiara Santis Andheri residentlsquoThe sheets on both sides make the skywalk feel like a closed corridor During summer it becomes unbearably hot and there is barely any air movement Plus the stench of urine and pan makes it difficult to breathe discouraging even those willing to climb the stepsrsquoThe skywalk in Sion PICATUL KAMBLEArusha Watikar Ghatkopar residentlsquoIf someone falls sick or faces an emergency inside whom are we supposed to call From below nobody can easily see or hear what is happening on the skywalk due to sheets Why canrsquot they put metal nets or grills ndash similar to ones we put at homes on windowsrsquoSafety concerns of womenThe Bandra East skywalk which was opened in January PicShadab KhanAnjali Rameswaram Goregaon residentlsquoI avoid using the skywalk alone after dark Poor lighting people sleeping on the walkway and secluded stretches make me feel unsafe particularly when there are very few people aroundrsquoUrvaja Saini Ghatkopar residentlsquoEven if the skywalk is technically safer than crossing the road it does not feel safe when there are dark corners people urinating or sleeping there and no visible security presence Also not all skywalks have CCTVs fitted even if they are they mostly do not work even if they work we do not know who is monitoring them and if anyone will actually immediately reach us if they notice any malicious activity Besides none of the skywalks has SOS or emergency buttons or lines connected to police control roomsrsquoThe skywalk in Ghatkopar PICRITIKA GONDHALEKARNo facilities for the disabledRamesh Sartape a wheelchairbound resident of GoregaonlsquoPeople talk about making cities accessible but these skywalks seem to have been designed only for people who can climb stairs A wheelchair user is practically excludedrsquoJayashree Jadhav a wheelchairbound resident of MahalaxmilsquoAccessibility should not be an postconstruction afterthought If new skywalks are being built without proper ramps or lifts past mistakes are simply being repeatedrsquoPoor maintenanceNayana Jog Grant Road residentlsquoWhat matters is how a skywalk is maintained Broken surfaces dirty corners and damaged facilities discourage people from using itrsquoShashank Phadnis Grant Road residentlsquoAuthorities spend crores building these structures but seem to forget about regular upkeep If a facility is dirty poorly lit or damaged people will naturally avoid itrsquoProblemsgtgt Large number of stairs to ascendgtgt No lifts and escalatorsgtgt Safety concerns especially for womengtgt Claustrophobic feeling owing to metal sheetsgtgt No facilities for the differently abledgtgt Poor maintenanceSolutionsgtgt Install functional escalators ramps andor lifts at all entry and exit pointsgtgt Provide uniform LED lighting CCTV coverage regular policesecurity patrols emergency help points and strict action against encroachment and nuisance activitygtgt Install metal nets or grills instead of current completely closed sheetsgtgt Facility for the differently abledgtgt Dedicated maintenance contract with clearly defined servicelevel standards regular inspections and penalties for errant agencieslsquoBMC can look at some issuesrsquoAbhijit Bangar additional commissioner projects BMClsquoMany things should have been done But most skywalks were constructed by MMRDA and later handed over to us so not much was in our hands But maintenance and planning of upcoming skywalks is something that can be looked atrsquoExperts ViewsVedant Mhatre programme manager Walking ProjectlsquoThe foremost problem is poor planning followed by pathetic maintenance Also the arms of most of the skywalks do not land at places where most residents of a specific area wish to go For instance the Borivli West skywalk is parallel to railway platforms 1 2 and 3 Most commuters who live in the west wish to go towards IC Colony Shimpoli etc None of the arms reaches these areasrsquoAshok Datar veteran transport expert and chairman Mumbai Environment Social NetworklsquoSkywalks are a part of a larger topic mdash mobility At present the focus is on encouraging car owners They want to make signalfree roads and push pedestrians onto the skywalks But at the same time they forgot the basic need to make these skywalks usable And now they stand empty in an alreadyspacecrunched city Escalators lifts security illumination entry and exit points at suitable locationsmdash a common man without architecture and planning knowledge also knows these are important Itrsquos not that authorities donrsquot understand things itrsquos more like they donrsquot want torsquo