Mumbai, November 28: The iconic Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) junction in south Mumbai is all set to get a pedestrian-friendly makeover on the lines of Times Square in New York. As part of the move, which is aimed at creating a safe zone for pedestrians and reducing road accidents, walking and resting zones will be developed in the area along with clearly delineated traffic lanes.

The project is part of a joint initiative of the National Association of City Transportation Officials- Global Designing Cities Initiatives (NACTO-GDCI), the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and Mumbai traffic police.

The move is a part of the Bloomberg Philanthropies Initiative for Global Road Safety.

According to authorities, work on redesigning the CSMT junction and data compilation for the project has already begun. Janette Sadik-Khan, who had served as the commissioner of transportation department of New York city during 2007 to 2013, was in the city on Tuesday to discuss the initiative with the officials of the city traffic police and the BMC.

In a statement issued here, Sadik-Khan, Principal, Bloomberg Associates & Chair, NACTO-GDCI, said the proposed redesign for CSMT could be a moonshot for Mumbai. "We are excited to have Additional Municipal Commissioner Vijay Singhal endorsing the Global Street Design Guide, demonstrating Mumbai's commitment to safer, more sustainable streets. This guide gives cities like Mumbai a permission slip to innovate with proven, evidence-based designs for urban streets," she said. "Mumbai joins over 80 global cities and organisations that are taking back their streets with designs that put people first," she added.

Talking to PTI, Abhimanyu Prakash, programme manager of the NACTO-GDCI said, "We will redesign the existing facilities at the CSMT junction, create additional safer facilities for pedestrians as they are the most vulnerable road users. Separate lanes for vehicles will also be created."

He said, as part of the initiative, H P junction at Bandra has been redesigned and transformed. "It has been done by our associates and we have received a good response. It was approved by the BMC and Mumbai traffic police," he said. He said 19 traffic intersections in the city, mainly P D'Mello Road, LBS Road and Belasis Road, are slated to undergo improvements to reduce the risk of accidents.

The Bloomberg Philanthropies Initiative for Global Road Safety was started in 2015 after an agreement was signed between Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Michael Bloomberg. "Since the initiative has begun, road crash deaths in Mumbai have come down by 20 per cent from 611 in 2015 to 490 in 2017. This year too, there has been a decline of around 17 per cent as the compared to the previous year," the statement added.