Despite being built to ease road congestion, most of Mumbai’s public parking lots lie unused thanks to poor access, bad lighting, and no signage, or are used by local residents for long-term parking
The entrance to the Nepean Sea Road public parking lot is barely visible to motorists. Pics/Eeshanpriya MS
Built to ease congestion, the BMC-approved lots suffer from poor access, zero signage, bad lighting, and no street-level visibility. As a result, residents often end up using them for long-term parking, while daily visitors stay away. Occupancy at the city’s 38 public parking lots (PPL) hovers around 40–60 per cent, despite being created by developers in exchange for extra FSI. “These vehicles all belong to residents. No one parks here short-term,” said a staffer at the Nepean Sea Road lot, adding that trucks and taxis block access during the day.
No awareness, no footfall
A staffer from the PPL at Nepean Sea Road told mid-day, “All the vehicles parked here belong to local residents. We don’t get any visitors using this facility for short-term parking during the day. Since there’s hardly any traffic inside, vehicles often park near the entrance without any regulation. That’s why access gets blocked, but only during daytime hours.”
Jacob Circle PPL has over 1500 parking slots but lacks clear signage and discourages families from entering
Activist Santosh Daundkar told mid-day, “How will people know where to park if there are no signages? Take the Lodha Centre PPL, for example, there’s no signage on the busy Senapati Bapat Road side, even though it’s adjacent to popular areas like Kamala Mills. A tiny board is tucked away on an interior road that hardly anyone uses.”
At Kohinoor Square in Dadar, Ankit Parik of Siddivinayak Enterprises, which manages the PPL, said, “Occupancy barely reaches 40 to 50 per cent. Most commuters still park on the roads around Shivaji Park, Gokhale Road, and Kelkar Road, despite the area being highly congested.”
He added, “Even residents from nearby buildings, which don’t have parking, don’t want to buy monthly passes. They find them too expensive. We’ve been asking BMC to subsidise the rates to increase usage.”
The inconspicuous entrance to the massive Lodha Palace PPL, hidden behind what appears to be a shuttered shop
Parik also operates the PPL at Artesia in Worli, and said the situation is financially unsustainable. “I’m incurring losses of up to R1 crore a month because of low usage and high operating costs. Monthly parking fees go up to Rs 2200 at A-category lots, which puts off casual users.”
Blame game
When asked about low utilisation, a BMC official said, “It’s the contractor’s responsibility to get more users. They can reach out to aggregator cab companies, tourist buses, or tie up with corporates for bulk parking contracts. The idea is to get these vehicles off the road.”
The official also claimed that oversupply may be a factor. “In G South Ward, which covers Lower Parel and Prabhadevi, there are eight PPLs with over 15,000 parking spots, all within a 3-kilometre radius. So yes, demand is low in some places. But contractors should adapt and bring in bulk users to stay profitable. That’s why you’ll find cabs and buses occupying space in many Lower Parel lots.”
Despite this, the BMC has not moved ahead on regulating parking fees or levying heavier fines for unauthorised on-street parking. “These decisions directly affect citizens,” the official said. “With no elected body in place, such policies have been put on hold until the general body can debate and approve them.”
Citizen experience
Anil Das, a city resident and frequent commuter to South Mumbai, said, “I had parked on an interior road in Girgaon and was fined R500 by traffic police for street parking. I told them there were no signs indicating where I could park legally. I eventually removed my vehicle, but it took me another 10 minutes of circling to find a spot.”
Mukul Mehra, Secretary of the Nepean Sea Road Citizens Forum, added, “There’s a massive shortage of parking in South Mumbai. We’re now seeing triple- and even quadruple-lane on-street parking. My response is to employ a driver who can drive around a looking for a parking space.”
Altamount Road PPL
Altamount Road PPL is one of the few well-maintained facilities, often used by Jaslok Hospital visitors, residents with passes. Pic/Atul Kamble
204: Parking capacity
Heavy motor vehicles: None
Two-wheelers: None
Key observations:
>> One of the better-maintained lots in the city
>> 10–15 slots reserved for visitors and Jaslok Hospital emergencies
>> Mostly used by nearby residents with monthly passes
Jacob Circle PPL
Jacob Circle PPL has over 1500 parking slots but lacks clear signage and discourages families from entering
1597: Parking capacity
Heavy motor vehicles: 12
Two-wheelers: 258
Key issues:
>> Lack of clear signage at the entry
>> A notice discourages families with children from entering the lot, asking them to drop passengers outside
Lodha Palace PPL (near Shreeniwas Mill, Lower Parel)
Despite a capacity of nearly 4000 vehicles, the Lodha Palace parking lot remains underused due to poor signage and misleading access routes
3856: Parking capacity
Heavy motor vehicles: None
Two-wheelers: None
Key issues:
>> No signage at Senapati Bapat Road entry point
>> Misaligned signage at Shankar Rao Naram Path, confusing visitors
>> Entrance resembles a shuttered shop, giving no indication of a large parking facility within
Kohinoor Square PPL, Dadar
The entrance to the Kohinoor Square PPL in Dadar is on the congested JK Sawant Marg. Pic/Atul Kamble
1021: Parking capacity
Bus slots: 12
Taxi slots: 15
Key issues:
>> Entry is located on the busy arterial JK Sawant Marg
>> No footpaths in the vicinity, making access difficult
>> Area is often clogged with illegally parked vendor trucks
>> Contractors say locals prefer parking on nearby streets in Mahim and Shivaji Park over buying monthly passes
Belasis Road PPL
Poor signage and broken access roads discourage public use of the Belasis Road parking facility
124: Parking capacity
Bus slots: None
Taxi slots: None
The Belasis Road PPL is barely known to locals; many believe it is part of a nearby mall
Key issues:
>> No clear signage indicating it is a BMC-run parking lot
>> Nearby residents and shopkeepers unaware of its existence
>> Security staff of adjacent mall claim the lot is used exclusively for mall shops and visitors
>> Poor access due to crumbling approach roads
Nepean Sea Road PPL
Nepean Sea Road PPL remains underutilised due to lack of signage
57: Parking capacity
Bus slots: None
Taxi slots: None
Key issues:
>> No visible signage marking the facility
>> Entrance often blocked by parked vehicles
>> Primarily used by nearby residents with monthly passes
>> Contractors report very few users for daily parking
Entrance to the Nepean Sea Road PPL often blocked by parked vehicles, making access difficult
Slots in Mumbai
Off-street parking/ Public parking lots:
Parking spots available: 30,036
38: Total parking lots
Off street parking in G South Ward alone (Areas of Lower Parel, Parel, Prabhadevi) Parking spots; 15,716 (8 parking Lots)
65: Total parking lots
On street parking:
Parking spots available: 8395
Bigger picture
Sudhir Badami, transport analyst and expert
‘The government has failed to design a solution that works for both private and public transport users. Unauthorised parking and underused PPLs reflect a policy failure. We should be moving 65 per cent of car users to public transport. But key questions remain: Does the government fine for illegal parking? Is there a will to impose congestion tax? Are public transport systems comfortable and well-maintained?’
Santosh Daundkar, activist
‘PPLs are underused because they lack signage, access, and last-mile connectivity. Developers of high-rise buildings don’t want to highlight these facilities close to their buildins, so they discourage putting up signs or creating awareness.’
Vaibhav Rege, Shivaji Park ALM
‘Kohinoor PPL is walking distance from markets and Shivaji Park, yet people park on the road. Even after redevelopment, residents with parking spots still use the road out of convenience, or because they own too many cars.’
Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!
