The Mumbai Skywalks

The Mumbai Skywalks A Case Study in the Planning and Design of Pedestrian Infrastructure in India Spring 2011

Table of Contents Case Study Context Station Area Congestion

4-5 6-11

The Skywalk Project

12-17

Evaluating the Skywalks

18-23

Focusing on Pedestrian Needs

24-31

Alternate Visions

32-33

Recommendations

34-35

Authors and Acknowledgements

36-37

Abstract

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Mumbai is a city of 17.7 million people where travel is characterized by severe crowding and congestion. This study explores the ongoing planning and implementation of elevated pedestrian “skywalks” as an effort to remedy congestion issues in the vicinity of Mumbai’s suburban stations.

Despite these improvements, the stations remain the weakest links in the suburban rail system. The transportation systems surrounding the stations are overwhelmed and unable to effectively attract or disperse the passenger loads, which exceeds 1,00,000 daily passengers at more than a dozen stations in the system.

Constructed skywalks are observed to be underused because they are not well connected and improve travel times to only a few destinations. Although new pedestrian capacity has been created, the skywalks have not been successful in decongesting station areas. More comprehensive solutions are required to reduce congestion by better coordinating all the various modes of station access.

As a result, the vicinity of suburban rail stations in Mumbai are characterized by intense crowding, traffic congestion, and long delays for vehicles. The experience for pedestrians is particularly poor as people surge out of stations and onto streets where they have often been provided inadequate space and are forced to mix with vehicles. In response the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) is undertaking a project to construct elevated pedestrian walkways that connect to suburban stations.

Known as skywalks, the walkways are being built to facilitate the efficient dispersal of passengers from stations by providing dedicated space for pedestrian movement and by minimizing potential conflicts between people on foot and motorized vehicles in the streets.

Introduction Mumbai is India’s largest megacity with a population of approximately 17.7 million. Rapid urbanization and economic growth in Mumbai have created enormous stress on its transportation infrastructure. Travel in Mumbai is characterized by severe crowding and congestion, and both the city’s island geography and its historical pattern of transport networks exacerbate this condition by forcing traffic into relatively few and narrow corridors. In particular, the Western Railway and Central Railway of the Mumbai Suburban Railway System are the most important and iconic lifelines in the city’s transport network. Investments are being made as part of the Mumbai Urban Transport Project (MUTP) to upgrade track infrastructure and increase the number and frequency of trains in service to help the overloaded suburban railway system cope with its daily ridership of 6.3 million commuters.

Approach This study explores the implementation of skywalks in Mumbai as a case study in the planning and design of pedestrian infrastructure for a major Indian city. The purpose of this study is to measure and evaluate the effectiveness of skywalks constructed in Mumbai in order to understand the contribution that elevated walkways can make toward reducing congestion and improving walking conditions.

The data and discussion in this report focus primarily on the skywalk at Bandra Station in the western suburbs of Mumbai. The case study of Bandra Station is used to identify

The Case Study

Bandra Skywalk

The Western Railway line is the most heavily traveled public transport corridor in the world, with a 10-car train leaving every three minutes, carrying 5,000 passengers per train, or 1,vv00,000 passengers per hour in each direction.

The first segment of the skywalk at Bandra was opened in 2008 and it branches out 1300m on the eastern side of the station. The 4m wide walkway has five access staircases and runs through a cluster of office development known as the Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC) before crossing the city’s Western Express Highway and then terminating at Kalanagar near the offices of the Mumbai Metropolitan Redevelopment Authority (MMRDA). The western skywalk was completed in 2010 with six access points that connect the station with the Bandra bus terminal, the National Library and a mosque.

Bandra is a major station on the Western Railway in Mumbai where multiple services converge. More than a thousand suburban train departures take place every day bringing about 500,000 commuters through the station daily . The MMRDA estimates that 39% of these commuters approach the station on foot, 32% by bus, 16% by rickshaws, and 13% by other modes. The number of passenger approaching the station is nearly equal from the East and West. However, with the development of Bandra-Kurla Complex there has been a reported increase in traffic at the station.

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Station Area Congestion

What is congestion?

Congestion occurs when the demand for using a space exceeds the ability of that space to comfortably accommodate all its users.

Planners often measure the extent of congestion in terms of the amount of free space that exists between different people and activities. As users of a space are pushed closer together, the ease and freedom with which people can move about tends to decline.

Congested conditions occur when this impedance causes uncomfortable restrictions on movement or imposes undue delays.

Congestion in the vicinity of Mumbai’s suburban rail station arises from intense competition for space between three groups of uses • Station access

This group primarily includes commuters getting in and out of the railway station to continue to the next leg of their commute. Access to and from the station is by foot, bicycles, two-wheelers, auto rickshaws, buses and private cars.

• Stationary activities

The concentration of people at railway stations offers great market potential to street vendors and hawkers, who thereby set up their businesses near station access points. Motor-vehicle parking is another static use of space that occurs around the station and that often increases congestion problems.

• Through traffic

Station access points are often connected to major streets in Mumbai’s road network. This creates a competition for space between users of the station and the people and vehicles that are passing by on their way to other destinations.

Delayed!

Delay is an important and negative impact of congestion. Delay does not affect all transportation modes equally and is particularly harmful to public transportation.

Because one bus carries so many more people than a private car, a single minute of delay to a bus multiplies to 50-60 minutes of total passenger delay. As the rapid growth of private cars cripples India’s urban streets with congestion, the negative effect of the few traveling by car on the majority traveling by public transport becomes astronomical. This delay effect threatens the development of efficient and sustainable surface transportation in India’s cities.

7

allocate

Combatting congestion Congestion occurs when the demands on a space are greater than its capacity. But the solution doesn’t always require increasing the total amount of space. copenhagen

Allocate space

reclaim

Reclaim space madurai

Congestion can be effectively reduced by managing the demands on a space, and capacity can be increasing by reducing the consumption of space per user. Since pedestrians, bicycles and public transit consume far less space per person than traveling by private vehicles, designating areas as car-free and pedestrian-only can have a significant effect on relieving congestion. When space is limited, using existing space more efficiently is often the best solution.

Construct space

construct

8

When different types of road users mix in the street, it is possible for undesirable conflicts to arise because of the different behaviors and characteristics of people, bicycles, cars, etc. Providing demarcated, dedicated and well-enforced space for all user groups can help increase throughput by allowing the different transportation modes to each move more comfortably and freely.

delhi

When allocation and reclamation strategies are not enough to meet the demands on a space, it may be necessary to build more space. Although adding new space can initially help relieve congestion pressures, however, building too much capacity can have the opposite effect in the longer-term. Wide-open transportation facilities reduce the cost of travelling and this can induce new trips to occur: trips likely made by car in the case of road building. This effect can lead to a ‘vicious cycle’ of more congestion and further strain other links in a city’s transport system that may already be overloaded.

copenhagen

(above) This “woonerf” space in Copenhagen, Denmark is a complete street that prioritizes space for walking, cycling and street retail, while still accommodating motor vehicle access when necessary.

(below) Mumbai’s Western Express Highway may be an orderly, limited-access facility for cars, busses and trucks only, however it is also notoriously congested.

mumbai

Congested vs. ‘Chaotic’ A street filled with crowds of pedestrians and cyclists may seem like a chaotic condition that stands in the way of a more orderly flow of vehicles. However, pushing people out of the street on to narrow pavements and erecting barriers and fences to make way for wider and higher speed roads is a counterproductive approach. Instead of helping to relieve congestion, dedicating less space in the city to walking and more to driving produces a transportation system increasingly dependent on automobiles and characterized by a new ‘order’ of crippling car congestion.

This path to gridlock can be avoided by prioritizing the efficient movement of people rather than of vehicles, such as in the Dutch design concept of a “woonerf.” Woonerfs are shared spaces where pedestrians and cyclists are given priority over motorists and driving speeds are limited to a “walking pace.”v This approach of creating orchestrated chaos provides a positive feedback that encourages walking and cycling, and that reduces congestion by discouraging space-consumptive

9

Pedestrians entering and exiting Mumbai’s Suburban Railway stations face poor conditions and difficult challenges

Exposure to Risk 10

Crowded out from congested pavements, those on foot end up walking in the road perilously close to vehicles that are anxious and aggressive from being caught up in congestion themselves. At junctions, a lack of pedestrian signals leaves walkers darting out dangerously in front of traffic to seize opportunities for crossing.

Marginalization Every trip begins and ends with walking, and walking is the primary mode of transport for 1 out of 3 trips in Mumbai.

However, pedestrians are often literally pushed to the margins having no dedicated facilities for walking, crossing or waiting. This creates undignified conditions where pedestrians are relegated to scraps of space next to hazards or unpleasant conditions.

Crowding Crowding at the station exit makes it difficult for people to orient themselves and to move freely toward their destination. This is a cause of pedestrian delay and also increases the physical and psychological discomfort of walking.

Confusion The disorganization of activities (including vending and parking) and transfers to Intermediate Public Transit (autos and taxis) create a disorienting scene upon exiting the station. Confusion and erratic patterns of movement result, and this leads to delay and frustration for pedestrians.

Interruption Pedestrians prefer traveling in a relatively straight trajectory, rather than a weaving course around obstacles and hazards. As such, even where footpaths are provided use of these facilities tends to be nil since the pavements are insufficient for the volumes and further interrupted by breakages, open utility accesses, and even parked vehicles.

An alarming trend: pedestrian injuries in India India overtook China to top the world in road fatalities in 2006 and has continued to pull steadily ahead, despite a heavily agrarian population, fewer people than China and far fewer cars than many Western countries. While road deaths in many other big emerging markets have declined or stabilized in recent years, even as vehicle sales jumped, in India, fatalities are skyrocketing — up 40 percent in five years to more than 118,000 in 2008, the last figure available.

In the rest of the world, a rise in high-speed roads does not always have to mean a rise in deaths. In Brazil, for example, new, privatized highways have much lower rates of fatal accidents than other roads.

In China, by contrast, which has undergone an auto boom of its own, official figures for road deaths have been falling for much of the past decade, to 73,500 in 2008.

(from NY Times, 2010/06/07 needs to be adapted/credited)

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The Skywalk Project

In 2005 the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation conducted a feasibility study on elevated pedestrian walkways for Mumbai. Three years later in 2008 the MMRDA opened the first ‘skywalk’ at Bandra station (east).

• The feasibility study in 2005 identified intersections as critical points of pedestrian congregation that require safe and efficient crossing facilities.

Elevated walkways were identified as a preferred strategy for Mumbai for the following reasons.

• Most passengers at rail stations must already climb onto a ‘foot over bridge’ to access platforms. It was reasoned that pedestrians who have already climbed up the stairs would desire to continue walking onward at the same level.

• Constructing underground facilities such as subways is difficult and costly in Mumbai due to the utility relocations and a high water table.

Quick Facts Mumbai Skywalks Number of skywalks initially proposed

58 Number of skywalks being constructed 36 Number of skywalks completed

26 Expected completion Dec 2010 Typical width 3m to 4m clear walkway Skywalk lenght 100m to 1300m Average cost 50,000 to 70,000* per m2 Total infrastructure investment Rs. 600 crore * $1 US = 45 Source: Mumbai Metropolitan Redevelopment Authority

Dimensions of a typical skywalk

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Objectives of Skywalk Program

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By constructing elevated walkways that create dedicated space in the right-of-way for pedestrians and that separate pedestrians from other traffic in the street, the MMRDA aims to achieve the following objectives.

Nala Sopara Vasai Road Nalgaon

Bhayander Mira Road Dahisar

• Promote pedestrian accessibility by facilitating the dispersal of commuters from suburban stations to key location such as to shopping areas and to transfer points for other modes (bus, autos, taxis).

Borivali Kandivili

Malad Goregaon Jogeshwari

Thane

Andheri

Mulund Nahur

Vile Parle

Bhandup Kanjurmarg

Santacruz

Vikhroli

Khar Road

Ghatkopar Vidyavihar

Bandra

Kurla

Mahim Junction

• Enhance safety by providing safe and efficient pedestrian crossing facilities.

• Improve circulation by reducing vehicular delay due to pedestrian signals.

• Relieve station area congestion by elevating walking activity from the street and reducing conflicts between vehicles and pedestrians.

Sion Matunga Road

Site Selection Criteria

Matunga

Dadar

Kings Circle

Wadala Road

Dadar CENTRAL RAILWAY

Elphinstone Road

Lower Parel Mahalaxmi

Grant Road Charni Road Marine Lines

WESTERN RAILWAY

Mumbai Central

Sewri

Parel Currey Road

Chinchpokli

Cotton Green

Reay Road

Byculla Dockyard Road

Sandhurst Road Masjid Mumbai CST

Churchgate

Proposed Skywalk Locations on Western Railway and Central Railway

The following are the key transportation-related criteria used to help identify locations for Skywalks.

• Pedestrian flow: stations with more than 6000 pedestrians entering/exiting per hour at peak times were most favoured, and those with less than 3000/hr were least favoured.

• Pedestrian impact: locations where the impact on the city of pedestrians entering/exiting the station extended greater than 1km were most favoured, and areas where the impact was less than 100m the least favoured.

• Vehicle Traffic: locations where skywalks would help pedestrians cross wide and busy streets were favoured.

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Planning, Design and Construction The planning, design and construction of the Skywalks is being supervised primarily by the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority. 58 sites were initially identified for Skywalks but the scheme has been canceled at 22 proposed locations, in some cases due to local opposition regarding the impact of elevated walkways on aesthetics and businesses at street level. Route selection, structural design and construction tasks for the 36 skywalks actually being built has been contracted by the MMRDA to private civil engineering firms.

Skywalk Size The density of pedestrians was used as the primary factor to determine an appropriate width for the Skywalks.

The hourly flow of pedestrians to/ tation. There are six LOS standards ingly restricted until the extreme from each suburban railway sta(A through F, from best to worst) point when walking is reduced to tion at peak times was estimated which try to capture the effect that a shuffling speed. Skywalk designbased on ticket sale data from the increasing pedestrian density has ers sized aimed to provide LOS C Indian Railways. These flow estion reducing walking speed. When or D only to balance walking speed mates were converted into skywalk space is ample people can walk at with potential un-authorised vendwidths using the of pedestrian thier desired speed and freely withing activity that might occur if the Level of Service (LOS) concept out conflicts between pedestrians. space provided were too vast. from the Highway Capactiy Manual As conditions become more dense of the US Department of Transpormovement and speed are increas-

PEDESTRIAN DENSITY

<0.75m2 1m2 LOS F LOS E

1.75m2 LOS D

3m2 LOS C

4.5m2 LOS B

>5.5m2 LOS A

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Evaluating the Skywalks

The success of the skywalk project depends on the extent to which the infrastructure is being used and is helping to improve conditions for people.

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MBARQ transport specialists evaluated the Bandra skywalks in the summer of 2010. A set of site visits to the skywalks as well as meetings with planning and implementing agencies were used as the basis of analysis and recommendations presented in this report. On a several occasions EMBARQ specialists visited the skywalks to observe and collect data on skywalk use, patterns of activity and movement, and traffic flow conditions.

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The majority of pedestrians entering and exiting the station do not use the skywalk This diagram shows hourly pedestrian flows on the skywalks and on the ground level (including walking in the road) in the vicinity of Bandra Station during the afternoon peak hour. flow away from station 1700 flow toward station 1200

3560

3580 1910 NORTH OVERBRIDGE

20

2000 1090

TO LIBRARY

STATION

1030

4230 1880

1700 880 580

SKYWALK 1430

930

MID OVERBRIDGE

1330

2350

630

TO WESTERN HIGHWAY COURT HOUSE

K

AL W Y SK

3830

500

2870

2460

4730

1560

960 120

TO JAMA MASJID

TO BKC

note: hourly flows values are based on 10-15 minute interval counts

ET

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Pedestrian Density Despite the construction of the skywalks at Bandra significant congestion persists at the station exits and pedestrian densities on the street remain very high. Usage of the skywalks even at peak times falls far below the flow projections used to justify and design the facilities.

When the highest observed flows on the skywalks occurred (4650 people/hour on the eastern arm and 2800 on the western arm) space on the skywalk was sufficient to maintain low pedestrian density and achieve LOS A. In order for these skywalks to reach the low-

SKYWALK PEAK

LOS A 7m2/person

2-3 PEOPLE

STATION EXIT

end of their target design density (LOS C), pedestrian use would need to increase by 25-65% at peaktimes and by more than 200% during the off-peak. Although low densities surely help make the experience of those using skywalks pleasant, the investment in sky-

SKYWALK OFF PEAK

LOS A 10m2/person

1-2 PEOPLE

STREET

LOS E 1.6m2/person

LOS B 5m2/person

12 PEOPLE

4 PEOPLE

walks has significantly benefited a few while the majority still face congestion at the station exit.

The observation results suggest that the skywalks have been overbuilt or are being under-used.

Overconstructed?

Although the skywalks are wider at the top than bottom their footprint in the street is not insignificant.

Therefore, constructing footpaths equally wide as the skywalk plinth is an alternate approach that dedicates the same amount of scarce space in the street to pedestrians, but that incurs a fraction of the infrastructure and future maintenance costs. Based on pedestrian flows observed on the skywalks, during off-peak times pedestrian LOS A could still be achieved had such sidewalks been constructed instead of skywalks. In peak periods the narrower sidewalks would perform slightly more poorly than the wider skywalks, however, this alternative would still achieve the desired target of LOS C to LOS D.

21

SKYWALK

SKYWALK

2-3 PEOPLE

1-2 PEOPLE

PEAK

OFF PEAK

22

Pedestrian Use

Less than one in three people accessing Bandra station during the busiest time of the day use the skywalks, leaving nearly 20,000 people per hour arriving and departing at the street level. As a result, pedestrian congestion not only remains a major challenge, but safety and mobility are also very poor for the majority who must walk in the streets due to a lack of proper pavements and make perilous crossings due While the total number of skywalk users is notable, the problems that the skywalks were intended to solve were by and large observed to still persist very strongly. â&#x20AC;˘ Connections: A skywalk connection exists to the bus depot at Bandra east, but it was observed that a large amount of bus boarding activity still occurs on the street as busses approach and leave the station. On the west side all bus boarding as well as all rickshaw and

28,000

Number of people accessing Bandra Station in the peak hour

9,000

Number of people using skywalks to access the station in the peak hour

32%

SKYWALKS AT GRADE

23 Split of People Accessing Bandra Station

taxi boarding occur from the street only. These intermodal transfer points are all located between the station the first possible point to leave the skywalk for the street. â&#x20AC;˘ Safety: Pedestrians not using the skywalk or continuing on beyond taking the skywalk still face severe hazards. In locations where skywalks cross busy streets additional access points are needed so that pedestrians who are not heading to or from the station can use the infrastructure to climb and cross.

24

Focusing on Pedestrian Needs

Time vs. Distance

h

h

5 km/h

SKYWALK

4.5 km/h START

STREET

m m

h

START

SKYWALK

25

SKYWALK

4km/h

5 km/h

50 km/h

Above: The bus takes advantage of the longer but faster route (green) to get to the destination more quickly than following the shortest route (red). Right: for the pedestrian the shortest distance is attractive (green), and the longer path is avoided (red).

walking speeds, there is only a 0.5km/hr (about 10%) reduction in average pace when increasing congestion from Level of Service A to LOS D. Therefore, the pedestrian who is focused on getting to his/her destination will only tolerate walking about 10% further before the benefit of taking a less direct and less congested route is lost. The high cost of distance on foot is evidenced by the way pedestrians forge shortcuts, cross mid-block rather than at signals or walk across railway tracks rather than using overbridges.ENDDistance minimizing behavior has a negative effect on potential skywalk use.

Since locations to access the skywalks are limited, takSHORTEST AND FASTEST ing LONGER the skywalk AND SLOWER will likely incur a distance penalty over a direct route on the street. It is important to provide pedestrian facilities that allow direct and easy travel, rather than elevated facilities that are less useful.

STREET

FLYOVER

20 km/h

LONGER BUT FASTER

LONGER AND SLOWER

4.5 km/h AlthoughSTREET crowding and congestion adversely impact

STREET

SHORTER BUT SLOWER

m m

SHORTEST AND FASTEST

5 km/h

START

END

5 km/h

STREET

SKYWALK

20 km/h

FLYOVER

h

END

50 km/h

50 km/h

LONGER BUT FASTER

20 km/h

SHORTER BUT SLOWER

4km/h

FLYOVER

STREET

In the diagram below, a bus traveling on a flyover (green path) can get from origin to destination faster than along the street (red path) despite the flyover route being 66% longer.

This trade off between distance and time is possible since vehicle speed can vary quite a bit from 10km/hr in dense traffic END to 80km/hr on uncongested highways.

STREET

For road and rail vehicles the driving benefit to go FLYOVER 50 km/h elevated is that higher speeds can be attained when 20 km/h in aSTREET operating dedicated corridor with limited access START points and few signals or intersections. However, since human walking speeds do not vary so greatly, minimizing time and effort mean minimizing distance.

Sidewalking vs. Skywalking

The skywalk system operates as a limited access network with only a few points of transfer to the wider street network. As a result, other than when traveling to/from destinations right along the skywalk path, walking times using the skywalk are longer than via the most direct path on the ground. As a result, the accessibility to space within a 10-minute walking budget from the station is visibly quite a bit smaller when using the skywalks. The smaller reach of the skywalk network can explain in part why so many people still continue to access the station at street level.

Street & Sidewalk Network

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This diagram shows one-minute contours of walking time away from the centre of Bandra Station that have been drawn using computer software. Each one-minute contour represents a 75m distance, which is based on an average walking speed of 4.5km/hr.

1 minute The contours in the diagram (right) are based on taking the shortest path from Bandra Station to all places using the streets only.

4 min 5 min 8 min

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Bandra Station

Bus Transfer

Skywalk Access

Rickshaw/ Taxi Transfer

Streets

10 min

! Ã ý Æ

9 min

7 min 8 min

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3 min

6 min

Bandra Station Skywalk Access 5 min

Streets

7 min

4 min 2 min

9 min

10 min

5 min

3 min

4 min

6 min

Skywalks

Skywalks

Suburban Railway

Suburban Railway 8 min

2 minutes

6 minutes 7 minutes

3 minutes

7 minutes

4 minutes

8 minutes

3 minutes

8 minutes

5 minutes

9 minutes

4 minutes

9 minutes

6 minutes

10 minutes

5 minutes

10 minutes 0

50 100

200

300

Meters 400

By observing the routing of the skywalks and location of the access points, it is evident that the skywalks constructed are not useful for any trips headed northward from the station. These trips alone account for more than 20% of the total volume of foot traffic to/from the station in the peak period.

While a key objective of the sky-

walk project is to facilitate pedestrian connections between the suburban trains, busses, taxis and auto rickshaws, it is evident from the maps that the first skywalk access points have been placed too far away from the station to achieve this function. With the exception of busses leaving the depot on the east side of the station, taking the

skywalk to catch an auto or bus would incur a 1-2 minute time penalty on the east side and a 3 minute penalty on the west side. Moreover, these longer paths also require backtracking through the streets which erodes the congestion relief benefit of diverting traffic onto the skywalk in the first place.

Skywalks & Streets

27 1 minute

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Bandra Station Skywalk Access Streets

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8 min

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Skywalk Access

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Skywalks Suburban Railway

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2 minutes 3 minutes

7 minutes

4 minutes

8 minutes

The walking time contours in9 the diagram minutes 5 minutes (above) are based on taking the shortest 10 minutes 6 minutes path from Bandra Station to all places using at least some skywalk.

Suburban Railway 6 minutes 7 minutes 8 minutes

3 minutes 4 minutes 5 minutes

0

9 minutes 50 100 200 10 minutes

300

Meters 400

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28

Pedestrians are forced into traffic, risking their safety and impacting traffic flow, because their path on the pavement has become permanently blocked by a new skywalk structure.

Design and Detail

The purpose of the skywalk program is to help improve walking conditions. However, in some instances the skywalks themselves have become barriers.

At Bandra west (left) the skywalk and sidewalk network are also competing for space rather than complementing each other.

Here, certain access points to the skywalk have been built so as to completely block the sidewalks and abruptly interrupt the continuity of path for people walking at grade.

At Bandra east (below) space for a skywalk segment has been acquired by building atop of an existing sidewalk. As a result there has been no space saved in the street nor any net gain of space.

Instead, the area below the skywalk is fenced-off and remains a becomes a dead-zone and a visual blight.

False Economy of Space?

Elevated structures can help create more horizontal space when space on the ground is constrained. With a small structural footprint (1m), the Skywalks promised to capitalize on this effect and create a net gain in useful space. However, these potential gains have largely been eroded by the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;edge effectsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; of the skywalk pillars. Large abutments (2m wide) have been installed to protect the skywalk pillars, and the pillars create another kerb in the middle of the road against which vehicles park.

4m

bandra east skywalk

2.5m

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Addressing Underlying Issues The skywalk project at Bandra has largely been unsuccessful in resolving pedestrian movement issues, and pedestrian congestion at the station persists despite the creation of new walkway space. Low use of the skywalks has been discussed in terms of the effects on accessibility and mobility. However, even if the skywalks were used more intensively issues other than the mere quantity of space for pedestrian movement underlie the persistent

congestion. This diagram traces 60 seconds of rickshaw boarding activity in front of Bandra station.

The picture shows a highly chaotic scene where passengers exiting the station struggle to find an auto and wander dizzyingly in the street for 55 seconds on average until they can find a driver who is willing to accept their fare. This disorganized boarding process is not only frustrating, but also contributes

significantly to congestion because there are long dwell times for the autos which remain scattered about the street and because of the needless meandering of passenger into the roadway. Organizing this process would go a long way to improving the passenger experience and to extracting much more capacity from the existing road

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passenger refused successful boarding

60 seconds of rickshaw boarding activity at Bandra Station

walking trajectory

passenger/ starting point

Additional space may help ease congestion, however, far more can be achieved by better allocating existing resources Congestions occurs when the demand for using a space exceeds the ability of that space to comfortably accommodate all its users. However, even in the highly dense context of Mumbai many congestion challenges can be resolved within the constraints of existing space.

Therefore, planning and design decisions must prioritize creating a space-efficient transportation system that can move large numbers of people in the little space available. This a system will put walking, cycling, public transport and intermediate public transport (IPT) at its core since these modes achieve far higher throughputs moving people in private cars.

VEHICLES

A space audit of the roads leading to Bandra station demonstrates how existing conditions can be greatly improved by applying these principles. Despite the use of sidewalks by street vendors, a significant amount of the right of way is still being used for pedestrian movement. However, the safety and dignity of those on foot and walking in the street is being compromised by inadequate infrastructure.

PEDESTRIANS

37%

28%

SKYWALK WALKING IN THE STREET PARKING

14%

UNOBSTRUCTED SIDEWALKS

8% 6%

As population and density increase in the city pressure on transport infrastructure and congestion will rise. While building new capacity will be necessary in some locations, the amount of capacity that can added to the city will be limited both by the cost of infrastructure and the amount of scarce land that can be allocated to transportation.

10%

25% 27%

TRAFFIC

VENDORS ON SIDEWALKS

35%

10%

IN THE STREET

current use of space by different modes in the GN Road right of way near Bandra Station

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Redesigning the Right of Way The existing design has all the ingredients of a complete street, however the assembly is poor with many elements fragmented into slivers and priority for different modes poorly demarcated.

Walking was observed to organically spread out in the road until pedestrian density reached a LOS C. Though this is a comfortable density and the target for the skywalks, the walking experience is dangerous since and the claim to being in the street tenuous.

Parking is of low economic value and is not an efficient use of space when the demands for moving people in and out of a bustling station are so high.

Existing

Although vending activity consumes a significant amount of the right of way, shopping provides a strong amenity value for pedestrians and increases the attractiveness of walking by allowing people to combine getting from A to B with accomplishing personal tasks

Skywalks

EW AL

WALKING IN STREET

TRAFFIC

PARKING

TRAFFIC

WALKING IN STREET

PARKING & VENDORS

2.0

1.1 1.8

OBSTRUCTED SIDEWALK

LK

SID

PARKING & VENDORS

A EW

OBSTRUCTED SIDEWALK

D SI

K

32

1.5

3.0

current street section at GN Road near Bandra Station

1.8

3.0

1.5

3.0

0.8

2.8

Alternate Vision A redesign that prioritizes putting people first This design provides a similar allocation of space to pedestrians, vehicles and vendors as does the current skywalk scenario (left). However, safety, comfort, speed and capacity are all increased.

The existing amount of space being used formally for skywalk foundations and informally for walking in the street is consolidated in to well-maintained sidewalks

Public transport and IPT are prioritized as high capacity modes and are allocated dedicated lanes to reduce delays and make the most efficient use of road space connecting to the station. Static uses of space like vehicle parking are not allowed

Informal vending activity is allowed but regulated, and any new extensions onto new sidewalks are strictly prohibited. A compromise is reached between the dual role of the street as a ‘place to go to’ and a ‘space to go through.’’

33

LICENSED VENDORS

2.0

SIDEWALK

2.5

AUTO RICKSHAW

2.0

BUS ONLY

3.5

alternative street section at GN Road near Bandra Station

BUS ONLY

3.5

AUTO RICKSHAW

2.0

SIDEWALK

3.5

LICENSED VENDORS

2.8

EMBARQ’S CONCLUSIONS Skywalks are underused and are not attracting projected pedestrian traffic The study has shown that skywalks are poorly used because • The skywalks do not make important intermodal connections • Skywalks are not usually the shortest and fastest path to most destinations around the station • Using skywalks can require additional climbing and they are not accessible to those who have reduced physical capabilities • Activities and destinations that attract pedestrians such as shopping and food cars are down on the road 34

Skywalks have not been successful in solving station-area congestion problems Although additional space for pedestrians has been created, pedestrian and vehicle congestion at the station exit is still severe. In some cases, the skywalks themselves are a false economy of space and have added to confusion by obstructing xpaths in the road and on pavements.

Better management of existing space can significantly improve conditions By reallocating space to give priority for the most efficient and high-capacity modes of station access (public transit and walking), crowding, safety and accessibility can all be substantially improved within the existing space available and without the need to construct costly elevated structures.

EMBARQ’S RECOMMENDATIONS A comprehensive solution for a complex problem Pedestrian congestion around stations can be considered a symptom of underlying problems rather than the problem itself. Without a better understanding of the needs and desires of people in the station area, simply building more space will likely not resolve the congestion problem. The outcomes of the skywalk project demonstrate the limitations of a capacity-building approach.

The causes of congestion are numerous and are rooted as much in confusion and disorganization as in a physical lack of space. Station areas and all the land-use and transport activites occuring in them must be analyzed as one interrelated issue. A comprehensive and multi-modal approach to decongestion is required and it should consider the following: • enabling safe, efficient and well-organize transfers between railways, other public transport and IPT modes • providing pedestrian connections based on desired paths of movement and destinations • prioritizing the movement of people, not the movement of lowcapacity private vehicles • ensuring accessibility for all groups and people of varied physical capabilities • recognizing that vending and hawking activity are an important part of the pedestrian experience • reallocating existing space to the best uses before building new infrastructure

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EMBARQ EMBARQ—The World Resources Institute Center for Sustainable Transport works with cities in the developing world to catalyze and help implement sustainable solutions to problems of urban mobility. Since 2002, the network has grown to include five Centers for Sustainable Transport, located in Mexico, Brazil, India, Turkey and the Andes, that work together with local transport authorities to reduce pollution, improve public health, and create safe, accessible and attractive urban public spaces. The network employs more than 60 experts in fields ranging from architecture to air quality management; geography to journalism; and sociology to civil and transport engineering.

WRI 36

The World Resources Institute is an environmental think tank that goes beyond research to find practical ways to protect the earth and improve people’s lives. Because people are inspired by ideas, empowered by knowledge, and moved to change by greater understanding, WRI provides—and helps other institutions provide—objective information and practical proposals for policy and institutional change that will foster environmentally sound, socially equitable development.

CST-India Since 2006, the Centre for Sustainable Transport in India (CST-India) has been working to diagnose and solve transport problems in Indian cities. Based in Mumbai, the Centre achieved a significant milestone by conducting a critical review of Bangalore’s traffic plan. It has since expanded into other areas of sustainable transport, taking on cycling and pedestrian projects. Legally incorporated in 2009, CST-India continues to provide technical support and capacity building activities to a growing roster of clients and partners at the national, state and city level.

Authors Vig Krishnamurthy: Research, Writing, Graphics

Prajna Rao: Editor

Transportation Planner

Urban Planner

Vig Krishnamurthy is a graduate student at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology currently pursuing dual Masters degrees in City Planning and Transportation Science. His research at MIT focuses on using design to shape travel behavior and on methods to integrate sustainability concepts into the day-to-day tools and procedures of planning and engineering. Prior to this Vig completed his B.A. in urban geography and environmental management at the University of Toronto and then worked as a sustainability planner for the University’s campus and as a transportation planner in the Toronto area.

Prajna Rao is an architect-urban planner from Embarq CST - India, where she works on projects supporting sustainable urban transportation. Currently, she is involved with local governments to improve the pedestrian experience in cities, in addition to supporting their efforts to improve mass transportation systems.

Pursuant to her interest in urban development, design and social equity, she holds a bachelor’s degree in Architecture from Mumbai University, and a master’s degree in Regional Planning, specializing in urban design and community development, from Cornell University, NY. 37

Acknowledgements • Mumbai Metropolitan Region Delopment Authority (MMRDA) • MMRDA chief engineer • MMRDA Section Engineer • Massachusetts Institute of Technology International Science and Technology Initiatives (MISTI) • Swetal Kanwalu

Photos and Diagrams by Vig Krishnamurthy

Photos and Diagrams by Vig Krishnamurthy

web.mit.edu/MISTI/

www.ctsindia.org

www.embarq.org

www.wri.org

10 G Street NE Suite 800 Washington, DC 20002

THIS REPORT WAS MADE POSSIBLE BY GRANTS FROM: Climate Works 路

Shell Foundation (www.shellfoundation.org) 路 Caterpillar Foundation (www.cat.com) AND WITH THE ASSISTANCE OF Centre for Science and the Environment (www.cseindia.org)