After last week's frenzy, when Mumbaikars made a beeline for the Bandra-Worli Sea Link to enjoy toll-free rides on the city's latest pride, congestion on the bridge eased today.
People heading to the western suburbs this morning said they literally breezed across to Bandra in less than 10 minutes, as promised by the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC), which built the sea link.
Even residents of tony Worli Sea Face called in to say that air and noise pollution and traffic jams today were far less than last week, when the whole city seemed to have converged on the sea link.
"Today we can breathe a little easier," said N Raghunathan, former chief secretary of Maharashtra, "as there are fewer vehicles on the road. The mad rush we saw last week seems to have decreased."
Joint commissioner of police (traffic) Sanjay Barve said traffic had come down by more than half. He said last week's rush was more the result of curiosity. "The first day there were at least 1,00,000 cars on the sea link," he said. "Yesterday, it was sheer madness, as it was a holiday and revellers wanted to enjoy. The figure went way beyond 1.5 lakh."
Raghunathan is spearheading a campaign by residents of Worli Sea Face against the sea link's current exit on Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan Road. He has written to the prime minister, chief minister, and other authorities about the problems caused by the way the exit has been planned.
"For noise, the standards prescribed are 55 decibels in the day and 45 at night in residential areas and 50db in the day and 40 at night in silence zones," Raghunathan said. "These are the standards applicable to Worli Sea Face, but at present noise levels are well above the prescribed limits."
He said the residents will observe traffic patterns and related problems such as air and noise pollution over the next few weeks. "We have taken the help of experts and will decide our future course of action based on the study of vehicular flow along the sea face," he said.
