Illegal parking by car dealers and heavy transport vehicles discomforts Bandra residents
Illegal parking by car dealers and heavy transport vehicles discomforts Bandra residents
Notedly, Bandra is hailed as the Queen of suburbs, and a home to Bollywood Celebrities and sports personas. But off late the western suburb is saddling owing to the burgeoning traffic hassles in its narrow lanes and bylanes.
Earlier in April, a section of the print media had reported over the struggle by the residents due to the increasing traffic menace by the valet parking provided by aesthetic cafes on Veronica Road and Chapel Road. While there has been no relief from the traffic caused by the cafes, the residents around Almeida Park, John The Baptist Road and Cemetery Road are struggling with traffic due to the encroachment carried out by parked cars.
As per allegations by the residents around Prof. Almeida Park multiple car dealers in the area park their second hand luxury cars for display around the park and occupy much of the space. These cars could not be differentiated from that of the residents while people living in other parts of Bandra also park their cars around the Almeida Park.
These cars occupy the space on both the sides of the 3rd road to the 10th road, many of which are one way roads.
Reportedly, some of the cars remain stationary straight for several weeks and also cause problems for cleaning of the streets. The Advance Locality Management (ALM) 79 of the area, which includes the Almeida Road and Almeida Garden, has written to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation and the Traffic Police but all in vain.
Dr. Tempton Driver, the president of ALM 79, said, that they gave a very simple solution to the BMC of placing
‘No Parking’ boards after which the police can fine the vehicles being illegally parked. Ironically, it has not been implemented.
They had even taken up the issue with the RTO and the officer had assured them of visiting the area within five days. It has been two and a half months since then and they are still waiting for his visit.
None are interested in resolving the issue and it feels like they are just wasting time time by running from one department to the other.
On the other hand, the residents of John The Baptist Road and Cemetery Road are struggling because of taxis, tempos and other transport vehicles parked in the narrow lanes. The parking of these heavy vehicles causes a long stretch of traffic from the end of John The Baptist Road to the Cemetery Road.
As per Mario Fishery, a resident of the area, said, on one side, they are struggling due to the cafes in Ranwar village and on the other side, a few taxi owners and transporters have been occupying all the space on Cemetery Road. This clogs traffic till Lilavati hospital on one end and up till the Mehboob Studio on the other end. The traffic police have also blocked the right turn from Mount Carmel which has increased our problems.
When the media spokespersons contacted Swapnaja Kshirsagar, Assistant Municipal Commissioner of the H-West ward of BMC and Haridas Kiledar, traffic police inspector of Bandra and both of them did not respond to the calls or messages for reasons best known to them. If the higher-ups do not interfere and take up the issue in ‘priority’ basis, the residents fear that anything can happen.
News Edit K.V.Raman
