THIS is the reason why you see wrong vehicles on JJ flyover or BKC connector

Despite being banned on the Bandra Kurla ComplexChunabhatti connector and JJ flyover twowheelers and autorickshaws continue to ply on these structures thanks to improper and inadequate signage Signs have not been placed at strategic locations where riders and motorists can view them easily causing many to realise that they should have avoided the bridges altogether much later Drivers and riders are fined Rs 500 for wrongfully entering accesscontrolled bridges When midday examined the connector which links BKC Road and the Eastern Express Highway as well as the JJ flyover in South Mumbai on Sunday proper signage was lacking at both spotsBKC connectorAround 300 metres before the BKC end of the connector there were signs on the median of the road stating that two and threewheelers were not allowed At the entry point of the connector too there was a board also stating this information While the gantry at the start of the eastbound stretch mentioned the area where the connector leads the sign at the top of itmdashwhich mentioned only fourwheelers were allowed on the structuremdashwas minusculeBikers are fined after crossing over from Chunabhatti to BKC via the connector which is strictly for fourwheelers on Sunday PicsAtul KambleWhile returning from Chunabhatti to BKC there were few signs on the southbound stretch of the Eastern Express Highway Signage on the gantry at the entry point of the connector was not visible resulting in several twowheeler riders taking the connector only to get caught at the BKC end At the BKC end of the connector a large number of traffic police personnel could be seen cracking down on twowheeler riders and auto drivers for having used the connectorJJ flyoverWhen this correspondent made his way to the arterial overpass connecting Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus and Byculla he observed that it is only at either end of the flyover that signage stating that twowheelers and threewheelers were prohibited could be seen So small were the signs that they could be easily overlooked by bikers travelling at a speed of 30 to 40 kmphThe BKCChunabhatti connector which is strictly for fourwheelersCommuters speakHiren Patel a biker said ldquoOnce when heading towards BKC from Chunabhatti I took the connector only to realise that twowheelers are not allowed on it after being stopped by a traffic police constable The font used for the signage on either side of the gantry is too tiny for twowheeler riders and auto drivers riding at a speed of 40 kmph I was lucky as the constable did not impose a penalty after I told him about my genuine confusionrdquoBusinessman Wasim Shaikh said ldquoI take the BKCChunabhatti connector about 20 days a month On the BKC end I see traffic police constables stopping twowheelers and autorickshaws to impose fines However the traffic cops should take the effort to install several large signs not just at the connectorrsquos entry points but also at least 500 metres ahead of them to prevent bikes and threewheelers from entering the bridgerdquolsquoSegregation neededrsquoA V Shenoy a senior transport expert with Mumbai Mobility Forum and Mumbai Vikas Samiti said ldquoThe roads department of the BMC Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation is very lax about road markings and signage Also there is no proper coordination between the traffic police and the traffic cell which is under the departmentThe JJ flyover has antitwowheeler signs which are easy to overlook at either end PicsAtul KambleThere is no proper signage Also vehicles arenrsquot segregated sufficiently before they enter flyovers resulting in them either wrongly getting onto bridges or changing lanes at the last minute which can cause accidents Many oneway streets do not have noentry signs The Roads Interutility Coordination Apex Committee which has been nonfunctional for the past 12 years needs to start meeting regularly to ensure proper coordination among various departments and utilities digging roadsrdquoTransport expert Jitendra Gupta said ldquoIf there is no proper signage and if bikers are caught who is at fault Should bikers be penalised for someone elsersquos negligence and dereliction of duty Who will be held accountable if due to othersrsquo negligence and dereliction of duty a biker meets with an accident and diesrdquo