Beware! More accident-prone spots identified on Mumbai’s roads

The Mumbai traffic police identified 52 black spots, which are accident prone, last year compared to 39 in 2016.

An area qualifies as a black spot if it has witnessed at least five deaths in road accidents in the past three years. After the identification, the traffic police are required to send suggestions to the authorities to rectify the problem.

Around 56% of the 52 spots are in the eastern suburbs, according to the traffic police data, which was recently released.

Officials said the 23.55-km Eastern Express Highway (EEH), which connects Thane to south Mumbai, is Mumbai’s most dangerous road owing to speeding vehicles and engineering defects.

The traffic police have been calculating the number of black spots since the Supreme Court in 2014 asked all states to curb road accidents.

Amitesh Kumar, joint commissioner of police (traffic), said they had analysed these spots based on the frequency of fatalities and were working to prevent them. “These black spots are on roads maintained by the BMC or MMRDA or MSRDC. We have studied all 52 spots and noted the problematic areas. Some of them don’t have signals or pedestrian crossings. Others have engineering defects,” said Kumar.

Traffic officials said they had repeatedly submitted suggestions to the authorities, but little had changed.

The suggestions include installing rumbler strips, reflectors and safety barriers.

The stretch from Chheda Nagar to Airoli Junction is termed the most dangerous owing to speeding drivers, dimly lit roads, jumping signals, crumbling roads and jaywalking.

Kumar said by increasing surveillance, accidents and fatalities could be reduced. “We also plan an integrated traffic management system with signals being controlled by sensors,” he added. As many as 467 people died in 438 fatal accidents in Mumbai in 2017.