Mumbai: Bandra residents flag wrong-side driving, poor footpaths ahead of Mount Mary Fair

Narrow stretch of Chapel Road in Bandra. Pic/Shadab Khan

Bandra's growing cafe culture has brought more visitors to the neighbourhood, but residents say traffic violations and poor pedestrian infrastructure are making the area increasingly difficult to navigate. With the Mount Mary Fair set to begin, locals fear the situation could worsen.

Residents say two-wheeler riders, particularly delivery personnel, frequently drive on the wrong side of the road or take shortcuts, while limited deployment of Mumbai Traffic Police personnel has allowed violations to continue.

Footpath woes

The resident also pointed to the stretch of Dr Ambedkar Road between the Irish House on Pali Hill and the Turner Road junction. "There is no usable footpath. We have to walk on the road while vehicles are parked on the side, forcing us to walk alongside the traffic. This has been the situation for many months, and no BMC action has been taken," he said.

A biker rides on the wrong side of the narrow Chapel Road in Bandra West

During a visit to the spot on Friday, this reporter wencroaching on the footpath, leaving little or no space for pedestrians. In some places, only a narrow two- to three-foot-wide passage was available between parked vehicles and building walls.

BMC speaks

Deepak Gholam, Assistant Engineer of H West ward
‘We have sent notices to multiple parties regarding the missing footpath, and action will soon be taken against structures encroaching on the footpath. We understand how important it is for pedestrians and are working on it as quickly as possible.'

The correct flow of traffic

Traffic police speaks

Dipali dhate, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Traffic), Central Zone
‘Over the last two months, we have increased the number of personnel manning Bandra. Recently, citizens approached me with similar complaints, and keeping that in mind, I have personally started taking updates from officers in the area. Our main concern is wrong-side driving by delivery riders. We are issuing fines and, in some cases, seizing vehicles. Our goal is to help Bandra residents in every way possible on this issue'

The Dr Ambedkar Road stretch that lacks a footpath. Pics/Shadab Khan

Locals speak

Devika Nihalani, a resident
‘In recent years, driving in this area has become very tough. There are multiple two-wheeler and auto-rickshaw drivers who drive rashly, which almost leads to accidents. Due to this, I have personally stopped driving. But even when I get my driver to take me places, there have been situations where, although the two-wheeler, auto or sometimes car driver was at fault, we have had to apologise because we did not want to get into fights. I have a friend who fractured a rib after falling into an open drain in our area. The footpaths are not in the best shape. On top of that, there are food vendors selling food while animal faeces can sometimes be found just a few steps away. Bandra is a premium neighbourhood to live in, but when we get onto the roads here, we see that the infrastructure is failing and people have lost traffic etiquette'

A local restaurant owner and long-time resident
‘Almost every turn near Chapel Road or Turner Road, we see people driving in the wrong direction or jumping signals. I have seen two-wheelers cut in front of cars, which could lead to serious accidents, but there seems to be no action against such drivers. There are traffic police officers at these spots many times, especially near Chapel Road and Dr Ambedkar Road, but they are not there all the time, and riders take advantage of that. I am scared to walk on these roads now. The other day, my wife had to move out of the way because a biker was driving too close to the footpath. We really need the traffic police to take strict action and issue fines in this area, or soon we could see an accident'