The authority has come up with a survey, which claims that six of its skywalks are used by 5 lakh people daily during rush hours.
Just a couple of days after facing embarrassment due to scrapping of its 16 skywalks, the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) has got back at its detractors. The authority has come up with a survey, which claims that six of its skywalks are used by 5 lakh people daily during rush hours. Conducted by MMRDA officials, the survey has revealed that on an average 79,000 commuters use a single skywalk daily during rush hours.
"The figures are a fair indication of the usage and the need for skywalks especially during peak hours. The findings are contrary to the perception that skywalks have very limited usage," said MMRDA metropolitan commissioner Ratnakar Gaikwad.
A team of MMRDA officials studied the pattern of skywalk usage at Santa Cruz (East & Weat), Mira Road (East), Virar (West), Chembur (West) and Ghatkopar (West). They visited each of the six skywalks during rush hours in the morning and evening on a week day. While the details of usage and benefits of skywalks to commuters were collected from brief interviews with randomly selected commuters, the number of users was arrived at by headcount.
"By 2031, the projected population of the Mumbai metropolitan region will be 34 million, of which about 30% will walk to work. These skywalks will prove crucial for pedestrians in time to come," said joint metropolitan commissioner Ashwini Bhide.
The Virar (West) skywalk was found to be the busiest during morning hours with a footfall of 58,038 commuters, while the Mira Road (East) skywalk came in second with a footfall of 52,013. In the evening, again, Virar (West) was the busiest skywalk followed by Mira Road (East). The Ghatkopar (West) skywalk was the least used during peak hours.
"Virar station is always overcrowded and has inadequate public transport outside the station," Ranjana Ahire, a Virar resident, said. "The skywalk makes us feel like a part of the bustling metropolis, besides helping many of us reach home safely and faster."
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