the mumbai skywalks
DESCRIPTION
A Case Study in the Planning and Design of Pedestrian Infrastructure in IndiaTRANSCRIPT
The Mumbai Skywalks A Case Study in the Planning and Design of Pedestrian Infrastructure in India
Spring 2011
Table of Contents
Case Study Context 4-5
Station Area Congestion 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
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.
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.
ApproachThis 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
AbstractMumbai 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.
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.
IntroductionMumbai 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.
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Bandra SkywalkThe 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 walk-way has five access staircases and runs through a cluster of office develop-ment 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 west-ern skywalk was completed in 2010 with six access points that connect the station with the Bandra bus terminal, the National Library and a mosque.
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The Case StudyThe 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 passen-gers per hour in each direc-tion. 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. Source:
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Station Area Congestion
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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 ac-tivities. 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 uncom-fortable restrictions on movement or imposes undue delays.
Delayed!Delay is an important and nega-tive 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 conges-tion, the negative effect of the few traveling by car on the major-ity traveling by public transport becomes astronomical. This delay effect threatens the development of efficient and sustainable surface transportation in India’s cities.
Congestion in the vicinity of Mumbai’s suburban rail sta-tion 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 sta-tion 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.
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Combatting congestionCongestion 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.
Reclaim space Congestion can be effectively reduced by managing the demands on a space, and ca-pacity can be increasing by reducing the consumption of space per user. Since pedes-trians, 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 signifi-cant effect on relieving congestion. When space is limited, using existing space more efficiently is often the best solution.
Allocate space When different types of road users mix in the street, it is possible for unde-sirable conflicts to arise because of the different behaviors and character-istics 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 comfort-ably and freely.
Construct space 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.
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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 nar-row 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
(above) This “woonerf” space in Copenhagen, Denmark is a complete street that priori-tizes space for walking, cycling and street retail, while still ac-commodating 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 notori-ously congested.
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Pedestrians entering and exiting Mumbai’s Suburban Railway stations face poor conditions and difficult challenges
Exposure to RiskCrowded out from congested pave-ments, 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.
MarginalizationEvery trip begins and ends with walk-ing, 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 dedi-cated facilities for walking, crossing or waiting. This creates undignified condi-tions where pedestrians are relegated to scraps of space next to hazards or unpleasant conditions.
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CrowdingCrowding at the station exit makes it difficult for people to orient themselves and to move freely toward their destina-tion. This is a cause of pedestrian delay and also increases the physical and psychological discomfort of walking.
ConfusionThe disorganization of activities (includ-ing 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.
InterruptionPedestrians prefer traveling in a rela-tively 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 IndiaIndia 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
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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
Dimensions of a typical skywalk
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 = 45Source: Mumbai Metropolitan Redevelopment Authority
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Objectives of Skywalk Program 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.
• Promote pedestrian accessibility by facilitating the dis-persal of commuters from suburban stations to key loca-tion such as to shopping areas and to transfer points for other modes (bus, autos, taxis).
• 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 activ-ity from the street and reducing conflicts between vehicles and pedestrians.
Site Selection Criteria The following are the key transportation-related cri-teria 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 pedes-trians cross wide and busy streets were favoured.
Elphinstone Road
Lower Parel
Mahalaxmi
Grant Road
Charni Road
Marine Lines
Parel
Currey Road
Chinchpokli
Byculla
Matunga
Sion
Vidyavihar
Sewri
Cotton Green
Reay Road
Dockyard Road
Mulund
Nahur
Bhandup
Kanjurmarg
Vikhroli
Vile Parle
Santacruz
Khar Road
Mahim Junction
Kandivili
Malad
Goregaon
Jogeshwari
Nala Sopara
Nalgaon
Bhayander
Mira Road
Dahisar
Kings Circle
Matunga Road
Masjid
Mumbai Central
ChurchgateMumbai CST
Sandhurst Road
Kurla
Thane
Ghatkopar
DadarWadala Road
Dadar
Bandra
Andheri
Borivali
Vasai Road
Virar
CENTRA
L RAILW
AY
WESTERN
RAILW
AY
Proposed Skywalk Locations on Western Railway and Central Railway
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Planning, Design and ConstructionThe planning, design and construction of the Skywalks is being supervised primarily by the Mum-bai 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, struc-tural design and construction tasks for the 36 skywalks actually being built has been contracted by the MMRDA to private civil engineering firms.
PEDESTRIAN DENSITY
<0.75m2LOS F
1m2LOS E
3m2LOS C
4.5m2LOS B
>5.5m2LOS A
1.75m2LOS D
Skywalk SizeThe density of pedestrians was used as the primary factor to determine an appropriate width for the Skywalks. The hourly flow of pedestrians to/from each suburban railway sta-tion at peak times was estimated based on ticket sale data from the Indian Railways. These flow esti-mates were converted into skywalk widths using the of pedestrian Level of Service (LOS) concept from the Highway Capactiy Manual of the US Department of Transpor-
tation. There are six LOS standards (A through F, from best to worst) which try to capture the effect that increasing pedestrian density has on reducing walking speed. When space is ample people can walk at thier desired speed and freely with-out conflicts between pedestrians. As conditions become more dense movement and speed are increas-
ingly restricted until the extreme point when walking is reduced to a shuffling speed. Skywalk design-ers sized aimed to provide LOS C or D only to balance walking speed with potential un-authorised vend-ing activity that might occur if the space provided were too vast.
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Evaluating the Skywalks
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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.
EMBARQ 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 anal-ysis 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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3580
18801700
1430
930
4230
MID OVERBRIDGE
NORTH OVERBRIDGE
STATION
4730
20001090
3560
1910
880580
SKYWALK
SKYWALK3830
2460
2350
630
TO WESTERN HIGHWAY
TO BKC
TO JAMA MASJID
TO LIBRARY
10301330
960
2870
120
COURTHOUSE
1560500
note: hourly flows values are based on 10-15 minute interval counts
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.�ow away from station1200 �ow toward station
1700
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Pedestrian DensityDespite 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.
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 over-built or are being under-used.
12 PEOPLE 4 PEOPLE
STATION EXIT SKYWALKPEAK
STREET SKYWALKOFF PEAK
2-3 PEOPLE 1-2 PEOPLE
12 PEOPLE 4 PEOPLE
STATION EXIT SKYWALKPEAK
STREET SKYWALKOFF PEAK
2-3 PEOPLE 1-2 PEOPLE
LOS E 1.6m2/person LOS B 5m2/person
LOS A 7m2/person LOS A 10m2/person
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-
end of their target design density (LOS C), pedestrian use would need to increase by 25-65% at peak-times 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-
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 dedi-cates the same amount of scarce space in the street to pedestrians, but that incurs a fraction of the infrastructure and future mainte-nance 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 peri-ods 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.
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AT GRADE
SKYWALKS
Number of people accessing Bandra Station in the peak hour
Number of people using skywalks to access the station in the peak hour
28,000
9,000
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.
• Safety: Pedestrians not using the skywalk or continuing on beyond taking the skywalk still face severe hazards. In locations where sky-walks 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.
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.
• Connections: A skywalk con-nection exists to the bus depot at Bandra east, but it was observed that a large amount of bus board-ing 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
Pedestrian UseLess than one in three people accessing Bandra station during the busiest time of the day use the sky-walks, leaving nearly 20,000 people per hour arriving and departing at the street level. As a result, pe-destrian 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
32%
Split of People Accessing Bandra Station
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Focusing on Pedestrian Needs
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50 km/h
50km
/h
20 km/h
FLYOVER
STREET
FLYOVER
20km
/hSTREET
START
END
START
END
LONGER BUT FASTER
SHORTER BUT SLOWER
5 km/h
5km
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SKYWALK
STREET
SKYWA
LK
4km
/hSTREET
LONGER AND SLOWER
SHORTEST AND FASTEST
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50 km/h
50km
/h
20 km/h
FLYOVER
STREET
FLYOVER
20km
/hSTREET
START
END
START
END
LONGER BUT FASTER
SHORTER BUT SLOWER
5 km/h
5km
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4.5 km/h
SKYWALK
STREET
SKYWA
LK
4km
/hSTREET
LONGER AND SLOWER
SHORTEST AND FASTEST
mmh
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Time vs. DistanceFor road and rail vehicles the driving benefit to go elevated is that higher speeds can be attained when operating in a dedicated corridor with limited access points and few signals or intersections. However, since human walking speeds do not vary so greatly, minimizing time and effort mean minimizing distance.
Although crowding and congestion adversely impact 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 pedes-trian 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. Distance minimizing behavior has a negative effect on potential skywalk use. Since locations to access the skywalks are limited, tak-ing the skywalk 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.
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 ve-hicle speed can vary quite a bit from 10km/hr in dense traffic to 80km/hr on uncongested highways.
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 dis-tance is attractive (green), and the longer path is avoided (red).
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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 com-puter software. Each one-minute contour represents a 75m distance, which is based on an average walk-ing speed of 4.5km/hr.
The contours in the diagram (right) are based on taking the shortest path from Bandra Station to all places using the streets only.
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0 100 200 300 40050Meters
3 min
5 min7 min
3 min
9 min
4 min
6 min
4 min
6 min8 min
10 min
8 min
2 min 10 min
9 min
4 min
5 min
7 min
5 min
8 min
Sidewalking vs. SkywalkingThe 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 sky-walk 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
!Ã Bandra Station
Æý Skywalk Access
Streets
1 minute
2 minutes
3 minutes
4 minutes
5 minutes
6 minutes
7 minutes
8 minutes
9 minutes
10 minutes
Suburban Railway
Skywalks
Rickshaw/Taxi Transfer
Bus Transfer !Ã Bandra Station
Æý Skywalk Access
Streets
3 minutes
4 minutes
5 minutes
6 minutes
7 minutes
8 minutes
9 minutes
10 minutes
Suburban Railway
Skywalks
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By observing the routing of the skywalks and location of the access points, it is evident that the sky-walks 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-
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7 min
8 min
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walk project is to facilitate pedestri-an connections between the sub-urban 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 pen-alty 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
The walking time contours in the diagram (above) are based on taking the shortest path from Bandra Station to all places using at least some skywalk.
!Ã Bandra Station
Æý Skywalk Access
Streets
1 minute
2 minutes
3 minutes
4 minutes
5 minutes
6 minutes
7 minutes
8 minutes
9 minutes
10 minutes
Suburban Railway
Skywalks
Rickshaw/Taxi Transfer
Bus Transfer !Ã Bandra Station
Æý Skywalk Access
Streets
3 minutes
4 minutes
5 minutes
6 minutes
7 minutes
8 minutes
9 minutes
10 minutes
Suburban Railway
Skywalks
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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.
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4m
2.5m
Design and DetailThe purpose of the skywalk program is to help improve walking conditions. However, in some instances the skywalks themselves have become barriers.
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 sky-walk is fenced-off and remains a becomes a dead-zone and a visual blight.
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 poten-tial gains have largely been eroded by the ‘edge effects’ 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.
bandra east skywalk
False Economy of Space?
At Bandra west (left) the sky-walk 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 conti-nuity of path for people walking at grade.
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The skywalk project at Bandra has largely been unsuccessful in resolv-ing 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 inten-sively 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 disorga-nized 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 pas-senger into the roadway. Organiz-ing this process would go a long way to improving the passenger experience and to extracting much more capacity from the existing road
Addressing Underlying Issues
60 seconds of rickshaw boarding activity at Bandra Station
passenger refused
successful boarding
walking trajectory passenger/ starting point
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VENDORS
PEDESTRIANS
ON SIDEWALKS35%
IN THE STREET
28%
UNOBSTRUCTED SIDEWALKS
VEHICLES
37%WALKING IN THE STREET
SKYWALK
PARKING
TRAFFIC
25%
10%
8%14%
6%10%
27%
Congestions occurs when the de-mand for using a space exceeds the ability of that space to comfortably accommodate all its users. Howev-er, even in the highly dense context of Mumbai many congestion chal-lenges can be resolved within the constraints of existing space.
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.
Therefore, planning and design decisions must prioritize creating a space-efficient transportation sys-tem that can move large numbers of people in the little space avail-able. This a system will put walking, cycling, public transport and inter-mediate public transport (IPT) at its core since these modes achieve far higher throughputs moving people in private cars.
Additional space may help ease congestion, however, far more can be achieved by better allocating existing resources
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 pedes-trian movement. However, the safety and dignity of those on foot and walking in the street is being compromised by inadequate infra-structure.
current use of space by different modes in the GN Road right of way near Bandra Station
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WALKING IN STREET
WALKING IN STREET
SIDEW
ALK
SIDEWALK
OBSTRUCTED SIDEWALK
PARKING &VENDORS
PARKING & VENDORS
PARKING TRAFFIC TRAFFIC OBSTRUCTED SIDEWALK
1.82.0 1.5 3.0 1.8 3.0 3.01.1 1.5 0.8 2.8
Redesigning the Right of WayThe 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.
Existing Skywalks
current street section at GN Road near Bandra Station
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.
Although vending activity con-sumes a significant amount of the right of way, shopping provides a strong amenity value for pedestri-ans and increases the attractive-ness of walking by allowing people to combine getting from A to B with accomplishing personal tasks
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LICENSEDVENDORS
LICENSEDVENDORS
AUTO RICKSHAW
AUTORICKSHAWBUS ONLY BUS ONLY
2.52.0 3.5 3.5 3.5 2.82.0 2.0
SIDEWALK SIDEWALK
Informal vending activity is al-lowed 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.’’
Public transport and IPT are priori-tized as high capacity modes and are allocated dedicated lanes to reduce delays and make the most efficient use of road space connect-ing to the station. Static uses of space like vehicle parking are not allowed
The existing amount of space be-ing used formally for skywalk foun-dations and informally for walking in the street is consolidated in to well-maintained sidewalks
Alternate Vision A redesign that prioritizes putting people first
alternative street section at GN Road near Bandra Station
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.
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EMBARQ’S CONCLUSIONS
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 shop-• ping and food cars are down on the road
Skywalks are underused and are not attracting projected pedestrian traffic
Although additional space for pedestrians has been created, pedes-trian 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.
Skywalks have not been successful in solving station-area congestion problems
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.
Better management of existing space can significantly improve conditions
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EMBARQ’S RECOMMENDATIONS
Pedestrian congestion around stations can be considered a symp-tom 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 demon-strate 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 con-sider the following:
enabling safe, efficient and well-organize transfers between rail-• ways, other public transport and IPT modesproviding pedestrian connections based on desired paths of • movement and destinations prioritizing the movement of people, not the movement of low-• capacity private vehicles ensuring accessibility for all groups and people of varied physical • capabilitiesrecognizing that vending and hawking activity are an important • part of the pedestrian experiencereallocating existing space to the best uses before building new • infrastructure
A comprehensive solution for a complex problem
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EMBARQEMBARQ—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 em-ploys more than 60 experts in fields ranging from architecture to air quality manage-ment; geography to journalism; and sociology to civil and transport engineering.
WRIThe World Resources Institute is an environmental think tank that goes beyond re-search 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-IndiaSince 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.
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Vig Krishnamurthy: Research, Writing, Graphics Transportation 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.
Authors
Photos and Diagrams by Vig Krishnamurthy
Mumbai Metropolitan Region Delopment Authority • (MMRDA)
MMRDA chief engineer•
MMRDA Section Engineer •
Massachusetts Institute of Technology International Science • and Technology Initiatives (MISTI)
Swetal Kanwalu•
Acknowledgements
Prajna Rao: Editor Urban Planner
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.
Photos and Diagrams by Vig Krishnamurthy
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