Bandra residents have red-flagged the behaviour of certain two-wheeler riders on Hill Road, St Andrew’s Road, and Turner Road. According to them, the riders have been zooming on pavements to zip through traffic and riding on the wrong side of the street, especially on the one-way St Andrew’s Road, which connects to the arterial Hill Road.
After mid-day, on Thursday, shed light on the problems faced by residents of Babasaheb Ambedkar Road on the Dadar-Matunga stretch, where two-wheeler riders were venturing onto footpaths and parking their vehicles haphazardly, Bandra residents reached out to this newspaper.
The residents had in May this year written to the Mumbai Traffic Police requesting that bollards and signs be installed on footpaths and personnel be deployed, especially at the junction of Hill Road and Andrew’s Road, to penalise errant motorists.
The letter, by one Ernest Fernandes, the chairman of St Andrew`s Road Residents Association, read, “We request that traffic police be posted at the junction of St Andrew’s Road and Hill Road for a particular period of time to confront and fine bikers who are riding on the footpath and have, on several occasions, caused physical hurt to pedestrians, many of whom are senior citizens.”
The Bandra division of the Mumbai Traffic Police subsequently held a meeting with locals, conducted a site inspection, and issued a letter to residents on July 30, informing them that the issue had been resolved and that they were open to more complaints.
Fernandes told mid-day on Friday, “The traffic signal at the junction of Hill Road and St Andrew`s Road prompts motorists to use the footpath to race ahead. After BMC set up bollards, the situation has improved slightly, but not to a great extent. The problem persists.”
Samira Syed, assistant inspector of police, Bandra Transport Division, who met with the residents, told mid-day on Friday, “Traffic police personnel have been deployed at the junction. The BMC was also informed about the need to install bollards. This was a priority for traffic police as most residents of this area are senior citizens, and their safety is a primary concern.”
However, since the start of the Bandra Fair, traffic police have been deployed to manage congestion and traffic diversions caused due to the fair, and personnel have not been routinely available to monitor motorists on footpaths. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) installed bollards on St Andrew`s Road two days ago.
The Assistant Commissioner of the H West ward, Dinesh Pallewad, said, “Due to complaints from residents, bollards have been installed on St Andrew`s Road. They have not yet been installed on Hill Road or Turner Road, but that is part of the plan.”
Infra damage
Officials pointed out that apart from concerns about pedestrian safety, motorists riding on footpaths also damage footpath infrastructure, especially ducts constructed for utility lines.
Pallewad said, “The duct covers are not designed to take the load of vehicles; neither are footpath tiles. When motorists drive on the footpath, they damage public property. We have requested the traffic police to crack down on offenders with heavy penalties.”
