SoBo in a jam: No respite for residents from traffic, parking related issues

Colaba and Marine Drive are perpetually crowded with tourists and vehicles. The area is home to several landmarks and often sees VIP movement. However, residents of the area say they are being forced to bear the brunt of several traffic and parking related issues, and the authorities have failed to address these issues raised by them. They claim follow-ups have elicited little response.

The residents have been continuously complaining about congestion on the roads, double parking, illegal parking, motorists violating traffic rules and vagrants on the footpath. But now the signboards of roads have been also uprooted and the BMC has pasted 'free parking' posters on no-entry signs, that has allowed double parking on both sides of the lanes in these areas.

According to the residents of these areas, what has worsened the situation is constant road development and lack of traffic discipline, coupled with poor vigilance and monitoring by traffic authorities. Most of the signboards have been uprooted by miscreants, and corner parking has become a norm. Bollards that were installed at corner of Walton Road, Garden Road, Boman Cawasji Boman Behram Marg, Henry Road and JA Allana Marg have gone missing or are damaged.

Illegal parking of private taxis, valet parking and double parking on the roads only makes the lanes congested. This poses a hazard for buildings in the area in case of an emergency as free movement of ambulances and fire tenders is hindered.

Residents associations have written a letter to Ashok Dudhe, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Traffic) and Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation officials raising these issues.

Subhash Motwani, president, Clean Heritage Colaba Residents’ Association (CHCRA) has written to Amitesh Kumar, Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic) seeking better traffic discipline on one-way roads in the area by ensuring that constables strictly implement rules, no entry and other sign boards are prominently placed, double and illegal parking is checked, and bollards are set up to discourage parking in the area.

PARKING WOES

• Since the Marine Drive area is a heritage precinct, residential colonies in the area have not been able to develop any private parking. This had led to vehicles being parked on the roads.

OFFICIAL SPEAK

Concretisation work on Boman Cawasji Boman Behram Marg is on, and the contractor has uprooted the signboards at several areas. The residents of the area met me on Friday, and we will be restoring all the signboards soon.
Kiran Dighaokar, Assistant Municipal Commissioner, in charge of A-ward

We keep cracking down on parking violators but the number of vehicles have increased in the area. However, our policemen are deployed at all the crucial points and we clear the traffic and tow vehicles parked in no parking areas.
Ajay Kshirsagar, PI, Colaba traffic division

RESIDENTS SPEAK

One of the major issues in our area are hotels and other landmarks due to which tourists and private cars are parked in the peripheries of the residential colonies instead of using dedicated parking lots. There is always traffic congestion on the roads due to double parking.
—Rahul Hakani, Marine Drive resident

We live in the most historic part of Mumbai where traffic, cleanliness and security has worsened over the years.  Ironically, it is another sight to see when VVIPs visit here; beggars and hawkers are gone, traffic is managed properly, main junctions are cleared of the usual unnecessary congestion, not to mention the menace of double parking. If this area has to be saved, everyday must be a VVIP day much like how Europe has protected its most historic areas.
—Jaideep Sachde, Colaba resident

The traffic is a mess in Colaba, which is supposed to be a VIP area. But it only resembles a fish market where there is chaos all round. To top off, the Regal Cinema lane going towards the Gateway of India is closed for vehicular traffic every Sunday. This brings the entire traffic mess into the bylanes where we the residents have to suffer. I really don’t know whose brilliant idea this was. The traffic department doesn’t even have sufficient towing vans, which adds to the double parking in all our lanes. One can’t walk on the footpaths. It is chaos everywhere in Colaba, and nobody is bothered. It’s a shame that Mumbai is called the financial capital when the infrastructure is in shambles. I don’t know what will happen further in this mess.
—Parvez Cooper, Colaba resident

There is a total traffic breakdown in Colaba. There is double parking and drivers have the audacity to leave a vehicle parked in the middle of the road knowing well that there is no machinery to tow their vehicles. Corner parking, no entry violations are a norm leading to accidents, noise and air pollution.
—Shubash Motwani, Colaba resident

The  main cause  of  congestion on the  roads is not residents parking cars their cars in their respective neighbourhoods but failure of the MCGM to regulate parking in the city to a reasonable extent. In fact, the primary cause of congestion on the  city’s roads is the rampant and, most often, illegal commercialisation of residential and heritage areas. Congestion is further exacerbated by pedestrians on the drivable area of the street since sidewalks have been encroached by illegal structures, stalls and hawkers. Cars, therefore, move that much slower given that they are often dodging pedestrians. This is a major issue in the Colaba area with pedestrian accidents and fatalities reported on a weekly basis.
—Kaizad Bhabha, Colaba resident

I have seen Colaba change to the extent where I can compare it to the suburbs. The parking situation worsens every month along with the constant road development work. It may be good in the long term, but due to unorganised planing, the situation has gone from bad to worse. Finding a parking spot here is difficult and takes 25-30 minutes resulting in wastage of fuel. With double parking on the rise, it is even tough to get my car out, or for the local traffic to pass by, which only increases noise levels in the area.
—Ralph Lobo, Colaba resident