Some Motorists have started complaining against traffic diversions put in place at the crucial Haji Ali Junction by the Mumbai Police’s Traffic Department to deal with the vehicles entering from the Bandra Worli Sea Link.

They say the diversions not only cause them inconvenience but also make the route-accident prone, particularly at the some of the mandatory U-turns. However, there are others who have welcomed the streamlining efforts.

The Traffic Police have blocked the route from Peddar Road towards Mahalaxmi which means drivers have to go towards Worli and then take a U-turn at the signal near Lala Lajpatrai College and then come back again towards Haji Ali from where they can take a left turn and proceed towards Mahalaxmi.

Similarly, motorists coming from Mahalaxmi have to turn left towards the Sobo Mall (earlier known as Crossroads) and then take a U-turn outside the mall before proceeding towards Peddar Road.

While the Traffic Police department maintains that the diversions have cleared the congestion at the junction, many motorists feel otherwise.

Taxi driver Subhash Yadav says the diversions have not served any purpose.

“The bottleneck which used to be created at the junction earlier has now shifted to the Crossroads mall area where motorists coming from Mahalaxmi have to go in order to proceed towards Peddar Road.”

More worrying perhaps is the route that vehicles from Pedder Road have to take to reach Mahalaxmi. At the Lala Lajpatrai College signal the situation during non-peak hours is bad. “Traffic from the Worli side comes at top speed often jumping the signal there at night. Vehicles taking the U-turn are always in danger of being hit by these speeding cars,” says a motorcyclist.

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