Mumbai Metro Stations Set To Get Pedestrian-Friendly With New Footpaths, Bridges

The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) is planning to make it easier and safer for people to walk around metro stations. The plan includes building wider footpaths and new foot overbridges (FOBs), among other improvements, as per a Hindustan Times (HT) report.

Last week, MMRDA met with Walking Project, a Mumbai-based group that works to improve pedestrian access in the city. During the meeting, they discussed how metro corridors can better connect with other transport systems like buses and trains. Walking Project also wrote a letter to MMRDA, suggesting ways to fix footpaths outside metro stations.

Photo Credit: PTI

Walking Project was started in 2012. Since then, it has been speaking regularly with MMRDA about the problems people face while walking to metro stations. Vedant Mhatre, the group's programme manager, said, "MMRDA has made some improvements by increasing footpath width near metro stations. But these improvements are only around the station entrances."

He added that many footpaths are too high-more than the 15 cm limit suggested by the Indian Roads Congress (IRC). "There are no ramps for wheelchairs or special paths for the visually impaired. There's also no proper system to manage hawkers. Road crossings are not well designed, and pedestrian safety at junctions is poor," he said.

To solve these problems, MMRDA is working on a multi-modal integration (MMI) plan. One of the main parts of the plan is to build new FOBs. These bridges will help people walk safely between metro stations and nearby places.

For example, new FOBs are planned to connect:

1. Ram Mandir suburban railway station and Goregaon (East) metro station (Metro Line 7)
2. Goregaon (East) metro station and Nirlon Knowledge Park
3. Aarey metro station and Oberoi Mall

An FOB already connects Devipada metro station with the newly opened Oberoi Skycity Mall. In Vile Parle, where Metro Line 2B is under construction, Walking Project is helping MMRDA connect the metro and railway stations with nearby colleges.

In a letter dated March 12, Walking Project told MMRDA commissioner Sanjay Mukherjee: "We regularly use this infrastructure and have seen what works well and what needs to be improved. If certain design issues are fixed, walking around metro stations can become much easier."

According to Mhatre, these changes will not only make walking safer and faster but will also encourage more people to use the metro. "MMRDA should measure how well pedestrian infrastructure works and follow top-quality design standards right from the start," he said.

The MMI plan also looks at improving last-mile travel, making it easier to reach the metro from further away. Other future ideas include pod taxis and ropeways. With metro lines now reaching Thane, Mira-Bhayander, and other suburbs, the expanded network will also help businesses grow by reaching more people.

"We are focusing on overall development," said MMRDA commissioner Sanjay Mukherjee. "Our goal is to make it possible for people to travel across Mumbai in under an hour. By linking metros with FOBs, pod taxis, and last-mile transport options, we are creating a strong and smooth transport system for the city."