August 12, 2025: The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) has begun dismantling cycle tracks in the Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC) to expand road lanes, aiming to alleviate severe congestion in one of the city’s busiest commercial districts. The move comes amid a sharp rise in vehicle volumes, particularly following the closure of the Sion bridge, which has exacerbated traffic bottlenecks in the area.
The Rs 25-crore project involves removing underutilised cycle tracks and relocating underground utilities to widen the existing 2+2 lane configuration into a 3+3 lane layout. Senior officials expect this reconfiguration to reduce peak-hour travel times from 25 to 15 minutes and cut waiting times at signals from 10 to around 7 minutes. They also anticipate a reduction in vehicular idling and a corresponding decrease in carbon emissions by up to 30%.
Originally approved in 2011, the cycle track infrastructure was part of a planned 13-kilometre network in BKC’s G-block to promote sustainable, non-motorised transport. By 2021, around 9 kilometres had been completed at a cost of nearly Rs 60 crore. However, despite these investments, the tracks remained largely unused while vehicle traffic in the business district surged.
Currently, BKC accommodates approximately six lakh commuters daily, including two lakh employees and around four lakh visitors. Faced with mounting pressure on road infrastructure, the MMRDA decided in July to remove the cycle tracks within a month, prioritising vehicle flow over the seldom-used cycling corridors.
Officials emphasise that this decision forms part of a wider traffic management plan, which includes optimising signal timings and introducing one-way circulation in partnership with Mumbai Traffic Police. While experts advocate maintaining cycling infrastructure for greener mobility, MMRDA stresses that, given current demands, removing the tracks was essential to ease gridlock. The decision represents a pragmatic response to immediate traffic woes in BKC, though its impact on Mumbai’s long-term sustainable transport goals remains uncertain.
Source: Urban Acres
