Mumbai: A long way for better roads in Bandra

Vehicles on narrow Waroda Road. Pics/Sneha Kharabe

Bandra-ites, don't hold your breath; you have a long road ahead of you to get clearer and better streets. In another survey, based on readers' mails to mid-day's story on May 5, we took stock of other roads in the suburb where traffic rules are unabashedly flouted, putting locals in jeopardy.

Apart from a few regular roads, this time, vehicles were found flouting rules in a no-parking zone right outside a police chowky, and a pile of seized bikes was seen languishing under a heap of dust outside Bandra police station. Police officers, however, said the vehicles would be released to owners only after court orders. "They are on footpaths and don't lead to any traffic," justified an officer.

Seized vehicles parked outside Bandra police station, eating into the road's width

Waroda Road
Around 15 minutes away from Bandra station, it houses cafes popular among the youth. On a quiet Monday afternoon, the road was clear but had abandoned cars on its sides. While a few belonged to shop owners, others, said locals, had been parked and left by unknown people. "It is absolutely crazy," frowned Conchita Rodrigues, a resident, describing the area during peak hours. Another said, "Sometimes vehicles come in from both sides; it's utter chaos."

Bazaar Road
This road gets narrower the further you walk in. mid-day found tempos and two-wheelers parked in front of shops, reducing its width, and vehicles blatantly driving through a no-entry zone despite a signboard. "Nobody takes the signboard seriously," laughed Mohammed Ali Khan, who runs a paan shop there. "We have never seen a cop fining the rule-breakers."

A regular visitor to the area, Kennedy Fernandes, pointed out another problem. "Not only do these tempos enter anytime during the day, they are also parked haphazardly."

Hospital road
On the road that leads up to Lilavati Hospital, there's a police chowky in the vicinity, with three no-parking signboards around it. Yet, taxis, autorickshaws and tempos were seen parked there. "Some say they are patients and in a rush. If we object, they cite urgency and leave their vehicles in the no-parking area," a constable from the chowky told mid-day, adding that the matter comes under the traffic police department.

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