One of the major suburbs after Bandra and Andheri, Borivali is seen by millions of motorists and commuters as one big bottleneck. For years, the station area has been characterised most prominently by its long traffic pile-ups and illegal hawking. While the traffic snarl-ups add extra minutes to road commutes, pedestrians don't get a better deal either. Hawkers gobble up large swathes of pavements making it difficult for pedestrians to navigate through them. Low frequency of buses and availability of autos during peak hours have added to commuters' woes. "Even if my train arrives at platform 1, I prefer walking to platform 3 to take an auto than getting stuck in traffic at SV Road. Or I would rather walk the 1-km stretch to avoid the congestion and take an auto," said Gayatri Ganpule, a resident of Ashok Nagar. Thus, the residents are banking on two upcoming Metro projects on Link Road and Western Express Highway connecting Borivali with Andheri and further towards the south and eastern Mumbai. Even the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) has claimed that these corridors would decongest suburban road traffic. Over the last two decades, Borivali has witnessed a population boom. However, its road infrastructure has failed to keep pace. According to citizens, the capacity of roads and footpaths along with transportation options have hardly increased outside the station. Since the station connects Charkop, Poisar and Gorai, it witnesses staggering footfall with hundreds travelling to these areas via Borivali. It also handles commuter traffic for those who reside in Dahisar considering many who live in Dahisar opt to get down at Borivali station rather than taking Virar local train while travelling from south Mumbai. "I think the problem of traffic outside Borivali station can be solved by an elevated or underground road along SV Road. Though there is skywalk at SV Road, bot many people use it. Also, the skywalk is not safe for women during night hours considering it is very empty and dark," Ganpule added. Low frequency of BEST buses adds to commuters' woes. "My biggest problem is the availability of BEST bus during evening peak hours while going back home. Traffic at SV Road affects the frequency of buses; and when one arrives, it is full of passengers. If I take an auto, it will be an additional Rs 1,500 expense for me," said Viraj Mamania, a commuter who travels via Borivali station every day. For thousands like Animesh Vora, a resident of Dahisar who travels via Borivali to his workplace at Andheri, Metro is the only hope. "Even if you talk about solving traffic issues outside the station, overcrowded suburban local trains will continue to pose as a major problem. Thus, I think Metro is only solution to all these problems. It will rationalise traffic everywhere," says Vora. The two Metro projects namely Dahisar-DN Nagar Metro-2A and Dahisar East-Andheri East Metro-7 corridor are expected to be thrown open for public by December 2020. Collectively these two Metro corridors are expected to carry around 15 lakh commuters daily. POPULAR DESTINATIONS BORIVALI Dahisar, Gorai, Charkop, Poisar etc. Around 4 lakhs daily footfall at Borivali station MAJOR HURDLES Encroachment by hawkers Traffic congestion Low frequency of bus Availability of autos during peak hour Upcoming mode of transport Two Metro corridors connecting it with Andheri and south Mumbai 15 lakh passengers estimated carrying capacity of these 2 Metro corridors CITIZEN CHATTER My house is only 500 meters away from platform 3 which was platform 1 before renumbering of platforms. After renumbering, distance from platform 1 increased to around 1.5-km. We do not get autos to ply for such short distance considering the fare is minimum. Due to traffic on SV Road, it takes me around 20 minutes to travel 1.5 km— Archie Vora Hawkers swarm the roads after 6 pm inconveniencing pedestrians who find it difficult to navigate through them. The lane outside platform 2 is very narrow. Why do we have stalls in such narrow lanes wherein hundreds of passengers collectively pass every time a train departs or arrives from platform 2?— Ankit Arora I travel from Dahisar to Borivali station on a daily basis to board a train. At times, it takes me 45 minutes to reach station owing to traffic on Western Express Highway and station road. Once Metro becomes operational, I think my travelling time will increase further owing to traffic around Metro stations too— Virat Dodia My everyday commute to Borivali station is no less than a struggle, thanks to low frequency of BEST buses. The frequency of buses has gone down in the years not only because of the financial condition of BEST but also due to the ever-increasing number of cars on the road— Ryan Ferraro COPSPEAK We have been regulating traffic on SV Road very effectively. Traffic movement is slow, but not stagnant. In the east, the situation is a little better. Also, barricades installed along Link Road for the construction of the DN Nagar to Dahisar Metro-2A corridor have been removed, shifting the traffic flow from SV Road to Link Road. Once Metro becomes functional, traffic will be streamlined and will ease traffic bottlenecks— Jagdish Deshmukh, Traffic Police Inspector, Borivali THE CIVIC SIDE The chaos outside Borivali station is because of traffic and overcrowding especially at SV Road. The two upcoming Metro projects on Link Road and Western Express Highway would decongest road traffic. We have also proposed widening of SV Road. However, the proposal has been opposed by property owners who will be affected by the project. The matter is right now in court. Then, there is this never-ending menance of hawkers. We are usually swift in taking action against them. There has been a slack in action taken against them recently owing to less manpower due to the upcoming election's duties— Ramakant Biradar, Assistant Municipal Commissioner, R/Central ward EXPERT OPINION Three major problems plague Borivali — illegal hawking, haphazard pedestrian movement and auto parking. Hawker menace big burden for Borivli commuters. Despite crackdowns, hawkers return to the same spot again and again. Also, there are only a few takers for skywalk. The chaos on roads can be brought down once people start using them. Haphazard parking of autos has added to the congestion. All of these can be curbed if traffic police, BMC and auto unions work in sync.— Arun Kejriwal, ALM (Advanced Locality Management)

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