'MTHL Is Indubitably A Wellmade, But Can Create More Peak-Hour Pressure': Dr P S Pasricha, India's Most High-Profile Traffic Policeman

Dr P.S Pasricha, the most highprofile traffic policeman in the country, offers his expert insights into a key infrastructure project the MTHL for speedier commutes and co-relates it to one of the city's most unavoidable problems traffic.

At the outset, he admits the MTHL is indubitably a wellmade, operative project. But every pro comes with its cons. The cons are the vulnerabilities attached to it. The idea of a satellite city, which is Mumbai, will be combining with multiple cities, thanks to the vast connectivity. Not just MTHL, but with more corridors being built connecting one city to multiple cities with multimodalities planners are creating more vulnerabilities. This can create more peak-hour pressure something Mumbai still needs to work on.

However, Dr Pasricha adds that this can be straightened out with an integrated approach, using technology, improving pedestrian facilities, and bringing more east-to-west connectivity all in a cost-effective way. In short, the new projects the city will be getting will go in the correct direction as planned, if the other factors are considered, studied and synchronized.

Internal Roads Need Improvement In Mumbai

But what are the other factors? Dr Pasricha says east-to-west connectivity and building flyovers were some of the many steps that are not only cost-effective but also resourceful for citizens, commuters, etc. With that being said, once MTHL, Coastal Road or the other linking routes commence, the adjoining roads and routes will bear the additional pressure. What is the point if one manages to reach Navi Mumbai to Mumbai in 20 minutes, but gets stuck for another 30 minutes after exiting the Mumbai corridor? Hence, the routes connecting the corridors should be improved with synchronized signals, encroachmentfree, clean and pothole-free roads, public transport, and parking facilities, simultaneously.

Traffic planning, he says, cannot be done in isolation. In traffic, everyone and everything is and should be involved. Traffic has to be an integrated approach and needs to be linked with transportation. It includes the planning body, the civic body, and the stakeholders. Improving pedestrian facilities is one crucial area, like improving connectivity both go hand in hand.

With new projects in place, the efficiency part needs to be looked at in a multi-dimensional way. Easing the pressure on domestic routes, the internal roads should be looked at before going big and mighty. This is only possible with more studies and surveys on what your connecting roads are looking like. Is it clean? Is it wide? Is it free of encroachment? Can it carry additional traffic, are some aspects to it.