Motorcyclists and commuters using Mumbai’s Western Express Highway were stuck in a traffic jam for nearly four hours on Saturday. Passengers trying to reach the city airport have been affected the most due to traffic jams.
Sources in the police department told The Indian Express that supporters of the newly inducted BJP minister and other politicians had arrived at the city airport in about 500 vehicles unannounced to welcome them on Saturday evening, causing traffic jams on the roads connecting the airport.
“This was not a pre-planned incident, and we were not kept in the loop about it. The unannounced arrival of politicians’ supporters and their vehicles caused a traffic jam near the airport, and later it caused a long traffic jam on the northern stretch of the Western Express Highway from Bandra to Goregaon. Even traffic flow from Goregaon to Andheri was affected,” said a senior police officer.
As it was not a weekday and there were no major public or political events along the Western Express Highway, the motorists looked disappointed and surprised at the same time.
There was a long traffic jam on the Western Express Highway from Bandra, Kherwadi to Andheri and further on both sides of the highway. There was a relatively long jam on the northbound stretch and vehicles almost came to a standstill at some places.
A police source said the BJP leader was supposed to arrive at the airport at 7 pm. Although his supporters reached the airport in large numbers, the leader was able to leave the airport only after 9:30. Because of this, his supporters were waiting on the road near the airport and their vehicles did not move, due to which there was a jam under the Andheri Bridge. It also affected the flow of northbound and southbound vehicles under the Centaur Bridge and led to jams near Bahar Junction.
A motorist stuck in the traffic said that it took more than two hours to reach the airport, which is only 5 km from Bandra.
Due to the long traffic jam, many people are late to reach the airport to catch their flight.
Many motorists got out of their vehicles, curious to know what caused such an unexpected jam, that too on a weekend.
At some points, several motorists were seen managing the traffic jam to pass their vehicles.
Many citizens expressed their anger on social media against the ‘weak’ management of the traffic police.
Columnist Nisha Jamwal posted on X, “@mumbaitraffic #Magdeburg SOS. What is the problem at #WesternExpressHighway airport today at this moment? My friends have been stuck at that place for the past two hours and 15 minutes. Why should we be traumatized on a #Saturday night?
Another X user, Durvas Rane, shared photos and videos of the traffic jam and posted, “Terrible traffic near Mumbai Airport – Western Express Highway (standstill traffic southbound, very slow moving traffic northbound). Don’t know what’s causing this traffic. #Mumbai Traffic #WEH.”
Political activist Brian D’Souza tagged the CM’s office, Mumbai Traffic Police and Police Commissioner and shared a video post on X with the message, “Condition of Western Express Highway. Cars are not moving near Mumbai Airport. People walking on Express Highway go home.”
Confirming the crowd, a senior official said the politician’s supporters did not inform the Mumbai Traffic Police about his arrival in advance, following which around 600 vehicles, both four-wheelers and two-wheelers, came to welcome him near the airport. The official said the jam had a “cascading effect” and soon led to a traffic jam on the Western Express Highway.
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