The spike in Covid numbers in the city saw a substantial drop in vehicular traffic all over Mumbai on Friday. Vehicular traffic was thinner than usual, confirmed Raj Vardhan Sinha, joint commissioner of police, traffic, Mumbai Police. “There is a drop of 20 to 25 % in vehicular traffic in Bandra (west) on S V Road and Link Road,” said Vishal Khaire, senior inspector of Bandra Traffic division.
Peddar Road wore a similar look. Sagar Lad, a tennis coach and Marine Lines resident, said, “There was absolutely no traffic this evening while I was returning home from Worli. A cab ride usually takes 40 minutes in the evening peak hours but today, I reached home in 20 minutes.”
Rohan Gupta, a media professional and Ghatkopar resident, said, “Every Friday, my office colleagues used to have a party. As our job involves traveling, everyone used to come from different cities. But due to Covid, we are all avoiding travel and the party has been cancelled.”
The eastern express highway (EEH) and the western express highway (WEH) also saw minimal traffic. “Since November 29, there has been no traffic jam on WEH, vehicles are moving swiftly and lesser traffic was seen today,” said Mukund Yadav, senior inspector of Dindoshi Traffic division on the WEH. “There was 10 per cent less traffic on EEH on Friday. It may be due to Covid restrictions. Also, since January 1, traffic has been decreasing,” said Husan Jatkar, senior inspector, Vikhroli traffic division.