Unauthorised parking needs a strict deterrent

Pic/Rane Ashish

Vile Parle East residents said in our report that bylanes are taken over by auto drivers and cabbies every afternoon for lunch and a nap, making it difficult for locals to park their own vehicles. They have requested traffic police to patrol the area and impose fines on trespassers.

It is siesta time between 2 pm and 4 pm, for auto and cab drivers, but sleepless times for certain residents who say they cannot park their vehicles in front of their homes because of this practice.

One resident stated that tourist taxis, autos, and cabs mostly stop here because they can't wait for passengers in the airport parking lots as it is a pay 'n' park. Previously, they used to occupy the Western Express Highway or Sahar Road, but since the police are imposing fines at those spots, they have moved.

A senior police traffic official said in our report that it is possible that cab and auto drivers have moved to Vile Parle East because our patrolling officers are imposing fines for parking on Sahar Road or the Western Express Highway.

It is important that authorities find out exactly why these autos and cabbies are parking in this space and if they are supposed to park at the airport they need to be shifted back there or told they cannot park in these spots. Some kind of solution needs to be found so that locals also have some relief and they get some space for parking.

A little uptick in patrolling, sharp CCTV surveillance may reveal a pattern of the timing of parking and from where these vehicles arrive, plus the passengers they ferry. Attention and a happy balance needed here.