Mumbai metro work leads to traffic snarls, police clear vehicles parked illegally

Mumbai city news: An officer from traffic police headquarters said constables have been instructed to pay special attention to easing traffic on roads in the western suburbs and south Mumbai, where Metro work is in full swing.

With Metro construction work under way across the city, and especially in the western suburbs, the Mumbai traffic police have intensified their action against illegally parked vehicles.

Double parking on narrow streets across is a common problem across Mumbai. (Kunal Patil/HT Photo)

To test this, HT complained about vehicles double-parked vehicles in Oshiwara, Andheri (West) on Monday. The response was quick – traffic police constable Madhukar Khade promptly got in touch. Khade, from the DN Nagar traffic division, had been patrolling the area since the morning, and by afternoon had issued challans for at least 30 illegally parked vehicles, including autorickshaws and tempos on roads connecting SV Road and Link Road. Half an hour after HT informed the control room about traffic building up on the stretch Khade told us that more action had been taken, with 45 vehicles issued challans by late afternoon.

An officer from traffic police headquarters said constables have been instructed to pay special attention to easing traffic on roads in the western suburbs and south Mumbai, where Metro work is in full swing.

“Constables are taking effective action on complaints of violations such as double parking, which slow down traffic,” said a traffic police officer.

The police are also harnessing the power of Twitter to address traffic problems and help motorists alert others about jams. Motorist Rahul Sethi tweeted to them on Monday, “Nariyan Nagar crossing on LBS westbound has unauthorised vehicles parked on both sides of the road.”

Others complained about double parking at Andheri subway, which makes it difficult for motorists to navigate the narrow lanes, especially those connecting SV Road and Link Road.

Apart from resolving congestion issues, the police are also using their Twitter account to kick off an intensive road safety campaign that aims to spread awareness about the importance of helmets, and avoiding speeding and jumping signals.

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) recently set aside 92 lots for street parking. Another 50 are being constructed by private builders and will be handed over to the BMC. However, officials admitted this was a small number, given the number of vehicles in Mumbai. The Western Express Highway alone sees 10 to 12 lakh vehicles a day, according to the traffic police.