MUMBAI, Oct. 10 -- The metro in BKC has not meant the end of commuter woes in the business district. While it has eased the path for many coming from the western suburbs, for those coming from the eastern suburbs and alighting at Kurla station, the situation is as it was in the past. Till Metro 2B becomes a reality, the Walking Project has suggested key ways in which the scenario can be improved exponentially. "Walking and proper walking infrastructure is the sustainable, healthy, quick and cost-effective answer," explained Vedant Mhatre, project manager at the Walking Project, which started a campaign on X with the hashtag #Walk2BKC on Thursday. "Today, despite Sion station and Chunabhatti station being very close to southern BKC, there is no direct connection for pedestrians. But these few steps can open up new ways of access." The Walking Projects plan hinges on pedestrian bridges directly from Chunabhatti and Sion stations over the Mithi River to BKC. If routed properly, the distance between the two would be 800 metres and 1.2 km respectively, a casual walk. "Getting out of Kurla station is a battle," said Nishant Bangera, who travels from Thane to BKC every day. "There is no space, with rickshaws coming up all the way to the station and hawkers occupying every inch of the footpath. Even at the bus station, there is no shade from the sun or rain. Shared rickshaws don't follow a proper route, adding to the mess." The Walking Project's plan thus envisages taking the load off Kurla station and diverting it to Sion and Chunabhatti stations. Each alternate fast train stopping at Sion station would reduce the pressure on Kurla. There are very few bridges that connect Kurla West to BKC, Mhatre pointed out. "A vehicle bridge was constructed in 2018 to connect the EEH to BKC but there are no footpaths," he said. "Neither is there a way for a pedestrian to get from Chunabhatti to southern BKC, which are very close and separated only by the Mithi river. "If there were a couple of pedestrian bridges over the Mithi from the other two stations, the walk could be a cakewalk." Mhatre gave the examples of the Atal Bridge in Ahmedabad and the Millenium Bridge in London, both going over water bodies. He pointed out that pedestrian bridges would not need extensive landings, making land acquisition easier. Additionally, the Walking Project has suggested a bus depot at the landing of the pedestrian bridge, from where buses can ferry people from the southern part of BKC to other parts. Walkability issues, warned Mhatre and Bangera, would remain even after Metro 2b, coming from the eastern suburbs to BKC, is operational. The metro station is almost a km away from Kurla railway station, which would mean people will still have to jostle crowds and vehicles to reach the other mode of transport. Those coming from the western suburbs are still plagued by the last-mile connectivity issues of the Metro 3 station in BKC. "While there has been a world of difference after the metro, I still have to walk for 10-15 minutes to reach my office, which becomes a challenge in the rain," said Kapil, who works in BKC and switches three different metro lines to get to his office. "Others, whose offices are further away, are worse off. There is a shared rickshaw line which charges Rs 40, but they still have to beat traffic and the route requires a long detour. Many people just make the long walk."...