Mumbai: Metro Blue Line 1 exits turn hazardous as hawkers take over footpaths

Despite being designed for safe pedestrian exit footpaths outside Metro Blue Line 1 stations have been overrun by hawkers and food stalls forcing thousands of commuters to walk on the road jostle through crowds or risk standing in traffic While vendors dominate nearly threefourths of available pavement space the remaining stretch is taken up by people queuing for buses or autos leaving no room for safe pedestrian movement The result chaotic dangerous conditions at some of the cityrsquos busiest junctionsVehicles parked on footpath outside Asalpha stationRegular Metro users told midday that nearly threefourths of footpaths are now occupied by vendors with the remaining space taken by people queuing up for autos or office buses The result no clear passage for passersby or Metro commutersVendorsrsquo POVWhile commuters raise safety and space concerns hawkers claim they are merely catering to demand ldquoIf people have such a problem they can stop buying from us or complain Around 80ndash90 per cent of our customers are these very commuters If they stop buying wersquoll shut shop and move elsewhererdquo said Shyamlal Misra who sells snacks and tea near Marol Metro stationThey also allege that authorities turn a blind eye in exchange for bribes or free food ldquoOften we give food or money to the cops so they let us stay If this is such a big problem why do hawkers exist on almost every footpath in Mumbairdquo said another vendor outside WEH station requesting anonymityAuthorities speakMumbai Hawkers Union president said ldquoYou canrsquot call all hawkers illegal If they are why did BMC issue thousands of licences till 2017 And why did the Centre start the PM SVANidhi scheme under which 14 lakh vendors have taken loans to run stalls They may be unauthorised but theyrsquore not illegal Wersquore working to regularise them so no one is inconveniencedrdquoTown vending committee member Vidya Vaidya added ldquoEvery city has a holding capacity Licences should be granted based on how many hawkers a street can handle depending on factors like pedestrian flow road width nearby workplaces etc Wersquove written several letters to the BMC about hawkers under Metro stationsrdquo BMC officials did not respond to middayrsquos queries before the paper went to pressCommuters SpeakGhatkoparGhatkopar Metro station has two main exits mdash one directly connected to the suburban railway station and another onto the road adjacent to Platform 1 of the suburban station known as the Station Road exit This exit opens right at the entrance of Platform 1 and the bus stopFootpath outside Ghatkopar station is blocked by vendors and stalls forcing commuters onto the road PicsAtul KambleMore often than not people waiting for buses must stand in line on the road because the footpath is fully occupied by food vendors The stalls extend several inches onto the walkway and customers eating in front of them force bus passengers to queue up on the road within traffic markingsChitra Balasara a commuter who travels daily from her workplace to Ghatkopar and then takes a bus to Amrutnagar said ldquoItrsquos always crowded during my travel time and we have no choice but to stand on the roadrdquo She was speaking from Exit Staircase 2B The bus stop markings about 10 metres apart have the railway station exit right between them leaving no space for a bus line to formldquoWe wait on the road with all the traffic and pedestrians Even on a good day we stand for over five minutes Vehicular movement here is slow due to congestion If the footpath was available we wouldnrsquot have to risk standing on the roadrdquo she addedExit 2A faces a similar issue with people standing on the road despite the presence of a footpath Those buying food crowd the walkway and the flow of pedestrian traffic makes it impossible to form orderly bus lines on the footpath the safer alternativeSaki NakaVendors and crowd spill onto the road outside Saki Naka station causing traffic and chaos PicsAtul KambleThis major junction near hotels and restaurants also has food stalls clogging the footpaths pushing pedestrians onto the road Though the bus stop is not directly outside the station exit crowds from nearby eateries spill over ldquoI leave work early and catch the Metro to Andheri before rush hour begins Once it does the crowd becomes maddeningrdquo said a man working nearby requesting anonymityAsalphaThe footpath outside Asalpha station has turned into a makeshift market making pedestrian movement difficult PicsAtul KambleWhile Asalpha station doesnrsquot witness heavy crowds inside its footpaths underneath are a different story They are lined with twowheelers flower vendors and food stalls selling snacks like pani puri Pedestrians often walk on the road to avoid the static crowd in front of these stalls ldquoI take this route daily Itrsquos so congested that I sometimes walk along the road just off the footpath Itrsquos dangerous but Irsquom not comfortable navigating the tight crowd of people eatingrdquo said Shruti Zanke who lives near Asalpha stationJagruti NagarPedestrians struggle for space outside Jagruti Nagar station where hawkers dominate the pavement PicsAtul KambleJagruti Nagar Metro station has exits on the footpaths as well as on the median The area sees less traffic and enjoys relatively unobstructed pedestrian movement ldquoJagruti Nagar has far more open space compared to Ghatkopar or Marol which is why I prefer getting down here and taking an auto home It would be easier to take one from Ghatkopar distancewise but I donrsquot want to get stuck in that crowdrdquo said a commuter who wished to remain anonymousWestern Express Highway WEHHawkers leave almost no walking space outside the Western Express Highway station PicsNimesh DaveThough Metro staircases are designed to open directly onto footpaths to help commuters exit safely the space is reduced due to hawkers ldquoItrsquos a great idea to land the stairs on the footpath but now therersquos hardly any space left because of the food stalls I first endure the packed local train from Thane to Ghatkopar then a suffocating Metro ride to reach my office near WEH and finally I risk my life walking on the roadrdquo said a PampG employee speaking anonymouslyMarol NakaCrowds jostle for space as vendors occupy nearly half the footpath outside Marol Metro station PicNimesh DaveldquoThe moment we step out of the station wersquore pushed straight into trafficrdquo said Vikas Shah a resident of Andheri who commutes daily to Churchgate ldquoTherersquos no space to walk Vendors block the entire footpath and we constantly bump into people waiting for buses Itrsquos especially dangerous because many vendors cook using gas stovesrdquo Priyanka Ghaisaas shared a frightening experience ldquoI used to walk on the cramped footpath because it was still safer than navigating traffic One night around 930 pm a man touched me inappropriately while squeezing past Since then I avoid the footpath and walk on the road carefully one step at a time even though vehicles zoom byrdquoChakalaHawkers and food stalls take over the footpath outside Chakala Metro station leaving little space for pedestrians PicNimesh DaveConditions at Chakala station are relatively better thanks to wider footpaths However during peak hours these walkways benefit bikers more than pedestrians ldquoThere are food stalls here too But the bigger problem is bikers zipping past us especially in the evenings when road traffic peaks On one side we have food stalls and gas stoves on the other side bikers flouting traffic rulesrdquo said Bharathi Naidu who commutes daily between Jagruti Nagar and ChakalaAndheri Metro stationFootpath near Andheri station is crowded with stalls leaving very little space for others PicsSatej ShindeAt Andheri the exit near the railway parking lot is almost useless due to poor access ldquoThe exit doesnrsquot land on the footpath We have to cross the parking entrance where vehicles keep coming and going Drivers arenrsquot cautious Then there are people eating smoking and loitering on the footpath thanks to paanbeedi shops and food stallsrdquo said Ashish Pathak a local resident