Mumbai: Dadar's spacious walkways misused for illegal parking and bike rides

The footpaths on the arterial BR Ambedkar Road BA Road in Matunga and Dadar are among the widest in Mumbai mdash up to four metres almost as wide as the Marine Drive promenade Yet pedestrians can barely use them safely forced to dodge speeding bikers and unauthorised parkingScooters parked on the footpath near BA Road with a traffic policeman seen resting on one of the vehiclesResidents say the problem has worsened since the demolition of Elphinstone bridge which has choked BA Road with traffic heading both towards South Mumbai and across eastwest connectors To save a few minutes twowheeler riders now mount the footpaths while shopkeepers and customers routinely use them as parking lotsA motorcyclist uses the gap between bollards to ride onto the footpath forcing pedestrians to make wayDuring a spot visit on Tuesday midday found twowheelers lined up along the pavement near Khodadad Circle and in Matunga even though the no parking boards have been installed by the civic body A private security guard visiting a housing society even admitted that a traffic policeman had once told him to park on the footpath ldquoto avoid blocking the roadrdquoA biker without a helmet rides on the BA Road footpath as several scooters remain parked along itEven after residents complained on Tuesday night and two traffic policemen were posted at Khodadad Circle bikers continued to ride onto the footpath ldquoTherersquos nowhere else to park If wersquore only visiting a shop for a few minutes where should we leave our bikesrdquo said one biker in Matunga who refused to be named With housing societies providing the only access points many riders end up driving the entire stretch of the pavement to reach their lsquoparking spotrsquoTwowheelers and makeshift stalls take over the wide footpath PicsKirti Surve ParadeA senior traffic police official said ldquoThis area needs constant monitoring It is impossible to monitor the entire north and southbound stretch round the clock The bollards between the road and footpath have wide gaps allowing bikers through Unless the design is changed the problem will continuerdquo The last major redesign of the footpath was undertaken in 2018ndash19 Since then several bollards have been damaged or stolen mdash and never replacedA biker rides on the footpath while pedestrians walk alongsideWhat residents wantgtgt Barricades on the stretch to block bikersgtgt Strict enforcement with more traffic police presencegtgt Accountability from civic and traffic bodiesgtgt Awareness drives to educate citizens and bikersScooters occupy the footpath even as pedestrians struggle to use it PicKirti Surve ParadeFootpaths not race tracks say Dadar TT residentsWhat was once a safe walking stretch has now turned into a danger zone In Dadar TT bikers and scooters continue to ride recklessly on footpaths with residents alleging that despite repeated complaints authorities have failed to actThe stretch between Tehmi Terrace and Dedhia House is a hotspot with twowheelers routinely bypassing traffic by riding onto pavements On Tuesday an elderly pedestrian suffered a fractured hip after being hit by a speeding bike sparking outrageDr Shonali Rathi a local resident and MD in Internal Medicine said ldquoThis is a footpath mdash for people on foot nothing else Who will pay for the victimrsquos mental physical and financial trauma Must we wait until someone loses their life before action is takenrdquo Residents said corporators had been informed complaints tagged to the BMC and traffic police on Twitter and multiple calls made to the traffic department but enforcement has not followedExpertsRishi Agarwal Mumbai Walking ProjectlsquoThe Dadar and Matunga areas have unusually wide footpaths which is rare in Mumbai I can understand the temptation for motorists to misuse them to bypass traffic but that cannot justify such behaviour The only effective way to curb this is through hefty penalties for those breaking traffic rules Footpaths must be reserved for pedestrians Infrastructure interventions like bollards have not worked in the past and clearly they are not working nowrsquoVivek Pai transport expert Mumbai Mobility ForumlsquoStronger penalties are the fastest way to tackle this issue But there was also an interesting intervention tried by the traffic police a few years ago mdash citizens were roped in as mobilisers to enforce rules across the city There should be a simple mechanism for people to report violations to the police Citizens could share photos of offenders riding or parking on footpaths If authorities lack the capacity to handle the problem then citizens must be involved Physical measures such as bollards can also help but they must be designed so that bikers cannot squeeze through while pedestrians can pass easilyrsquoResidentsDr Shonali Rathi resident near Khodadad CirclelsquoThis issue is very serious and requires urgent intervention but it feels like no one wants to resolve it My father who is a senior citizen and a doctor had a close encounter with a motorist riding on the footpath that nearly caused an accident We approached the Mumbai Traffic Police on Tuesday morning and two policemen were stationed in the area but that is only a temporary solution Residents here are lucky to have such wide footpaths but they must be maintained and reserved for pedestriansrsquoRaghbir Singh owner of lsquoSardarjeersquos Stop N Shoprsquo DadarlsquoIt seems only bikers have rights while pedestrians have none Our shop has been here for 50 years and now regular customers complain about the discomfort caused by this problem It is a threat to everyonersquos safety especially children senior citizens and pets When we ask motorists not to ride on the footpaths we face threats and intimidation They say lsquoWho are you to stop us Are you the policersquo Sometimes even mobs gather against us The authorities must step in and prioritise this issue before it gets worsersquo Online petitionDespite coordination with the traffic police on Wednesday residents observed that bikers continued to race along footpaths late in the evening when police surveillance was less strict compared to the daytime Residents have now launched an online petition titled ldquoProhibit Bikers from Speeding on Dadar TTrsquos Footpathsrdquo to garner wider supportThe 18 spots identified by the Mumbai Traffic Police are located around Khodadad Circle A senior traffic police official told midday ldquoBecause of the Elphinstone bridge demolition much of our manpower is engaged in managing traffic congestion on BA Road As a result it is impossible for us to post officers at every location where violations are repeated This issue requires a longterm strategic solutionrdquoTraffic police step inAfter complaints from residents on Wednesday and followups by midday the Matunga division of the Mumbai Traffic Police wrote to BMC identifying 18 spots in the area where bikers ride over footpaths to cut through traffic The letter sent on Wednesday evening requested the BMCrsquos intervention to install zigzag barricades at these locationsSandeep More from the Matunga traffic division said ldquoCongestion on BA Road has increased since the demolition of the Elphinstone Bridge I received over 10 calls today alone about such violations After residents complained on Wednesday morning traffic police examined the issue and fined several bikers In the evening we wrote to the BMC requesting updates to the bollards on footpaths so bikers cannot enter pedestrian zonesrdquo The barricades are expected to be installed within two days