Widest footpaths in Dadar-Matunga turn into biker lanes and parking lots, leaving pedestrians unsafe and frustrated
Bikers ride on the footpath while pedestrians walk alongside. Pics/Kirti Surve Parade
The footpaths on the arterial BR Ambedkar Road (BA Road) in Matunga and Dadar are among the widest in Mumbai — up to four metres, almost as wide as the Marine Drive promenade. Yet pedestrians can barely use them safely, forced to dodge speeding bikers and unauthorised parking.
Scooters parked on the footpath near BA Road, with a traffic policeman seen resting on one of the vehicles
Residents say the problem has worsened since the demolition of Elphinstone bridge, which has choked BA Road with traffic heading both towards South Mumbai and across east-west connectors. To save a few minutes, two-wheeler riders now mount the footpaths, while shopkeepers and customers routinely use them as parking lots.
A motorcyclist uses the gap between bollards to ride onto the footpath, forcing pedestrians to make way
During a spot visit on Tuesday, mid-day found two-wheelers lined up along the pavement near Khodadad Circle and in Matunga, even though the no parking boards have been installed by the civic body. A private security guard visiting a housing society even admitted that a traffic policeman had once told him to park on the footpath “to avoid blocking the road.”
A biker without a helmet rides on the BA Road footpath as several scooters remain parked along it
Even after residents complained on Tuesday night, and two traffic policemen were posted at Khodadad Circle, bikers continued to ride onto the footpath. “There’s nowhere else to park. If we’re only visiting a shop for a few minutes, where should we leave our bikes?” said one biker in Matunga, who refused to be named. With housing societies providing the only access points, many riders end up driving the entire stretch of the pavement to reach their ‘parking spot’.
Two-wheelers and makeshift stalls take over the wide footpath. Pics/Kirti Surve Parade
A senior traffic police official said, “This area needs constant monitoring. It is impossible to monitor the entire north- and south-bound stretch round the clock. The bollards between the road and footpath have wide gaps, allowing bikers through. Unless the design is changed, the problem will continue.” The last major redesign of the footpath was undertaken in 2018–19. Since then, several bollards have been damaged or stolen — and never replaced.
A biker rides on the footpath while pedestrians walk alongside
What residents want
>> Barricades on the stretch to block bikers
>> Strict enforcement with more traffic police presence
>> Accountability from civic and traffic bodies
>> Awareness drives to educate citizens and bikers
Scooters occupy the footpath even as pedestrians struggle to use it. Pic/Kirti Surve Parade
Footpaths not race tracks, say Dadar TT residents
What was once a safe walking stretch has now turned into a danger zone. In Dadar TT, bikers and scooters continue to ride recklessly on footpaths, with residents alleging that despite repeated complaints, authorities have failed to act.
The stretch between Tehmi Terrace and Dedhia House is a hotspot, with two-wheelers routinely bypassing traffic by riding onto pavements. On Tuesday, an elderly pedestrian suffered a fractured hip after being hit by a speeding bike, sparking outrage.
Dr Shonali Rathi, a local resident and MD in Internal Medicine, said: “This is a footpath — for people on foot, nothing else. Who will pay for the victim’s mental, physical and financial trauma? Must we wait until someone loses their life before action is taken?” Residents said corporators had been informed, complaints tagged to the BMC and traffic police on Twitter, and multiple calls made to the traffic department, but enforcement has not followed.
Experts
Rishi Agarwal, Mumbai Walking Project
‘The Dadar and Matunga areas have unusually wide footpaths, which is rare in Mumbai. I can understand the temptation for motorists to misuse them to bypass traffic, but that cannot justify such behaviour. The only effective way to curb this is through hefty penalties for those breaking traffic rules. Footpaths must be reserved for pedestrians. Infrastructure interventions like bollards have not worked in the past, and clearly, they are not working now.’
Vivek Pai, transport expert, Mumbai Mobility Forum
‘Stronger penalties are the fastest way to tackle this issue. But there was also an interesting intervention tried by the traffic police a few years ago — citizens were roped in as mobilisers to enforce rules across the city. There should be a simple mechanism for people to report violations to the police. Citizens could share photos of offenders riding or parking on footpaths. If authorities lack the capacity to handle the problem, then citizens must be involved. Physical measures such as bollards can also help, but they must be designed so that bikers cannot squeeze through while pedestrians can pass easily.’
Residents
Dr Shonali Rathi, resident near Khodadad Circle
‘This issue is very serious and requires urgent intervention, but it feels like no one wants to resolve it. My father, who is a senior citizen and a doctor, had a close encounter with a motorist riding on the footpath that nearly caused an accident. We approached the Mumbai Traffic Police on Tuesday morning, and two policemen were stationed in the area, but that is only a temporary solution. Residents here are lucky to have such wide footpaths, but they must be maintained and reserved for pedestrians.’
Raghbir Singh, owner of ‘Sardarjee’s Stop N Shop’, Dadar
‘It seems only bikers have rights, while pedestrians have none. Our shop has been here for 50 years, and now regular customers complain about the discomfort caused by this problem. It is a threat to everyone’s safety, especially children, senior citizens, and pets. When we ask motorists not to ride on the footpaths, we face threats and intimidation. They say, ‘Who are you to stop us? Are you the police?’ Sometimes, even mobs gather against us. The authorities must step in and prioritise this issue before it gets worse.’
Online petition
Despite coordination with the traffic police on Wednesday, residents observed that bikers continued to race along footpaths late in the evening, when police surveillance was less strict compared to the daytime. Residents have now launched an online petition titled “Prohibit Bikers from Speeding on Dadar TT’s Footpaths” to garner wider support.
The 18 spots identified by the Mumbai Traffic Police are located around Khodadad Circle. A senior traffic police official told mid-day, “Because of the Elphinstone bridge demolition, much of our manpower is engaged in managing traffic congestion on BA Road. As a result, it is impossible for us to post officers at every location where violations are repeated. This issue requires a long-term, strategic solution.”
Traffic police step in
After complaints from residents on Wednesday and follow-ups by mid-day, the Matunga division of the Mumbai Traffic Police wrote to BMC, identifying 18 spots in the area where bikers ride over footpaths to cut through traffic. The letter, sent on Wednesday evening, requested the BMC’s intervention to install zig-zag barricades at these locations.
Sandeep More from the Matunga traffic division said, “Congestion on BA Road has increased since the demolition of the Elphinstone Bridge. I received over 10 calls today alone about such violations. After residents complained on Wednesday morning, traffic police examined the issue and fined several bikers. In the evening, we wrote to the BMC requesting updates to the bollards on footpaths so bikers cannot enter pedestrian zones.” The barricades are expected to be installed within two days.
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