About 10 residential buildings located in Jain Society at Sion have been facing an uphill battle against unauthorised street parking of aggregate cabs in their quiet internal lanes. These vehicles are parked in their lanes named ‘24A’, ‘24B’, ‘25’, and ‘18’, throughout the day and overnight as well. Several vehicles are abandoned for many days at length, and also have punctured tyres and rusting along the borders of windshields due to this. The residents said they have been experiencing this since the COVID-19 pandemic.
In December 2024, residents of the area had written to the joint commissioner of police (Mumbai traffic) and were assured redressal. However, they were also told that there is no rule that specifically disallows aggregate cabs from parking at locations where private vehicles would park their cars as well. If they are not breaking any parking rules, such as double lane parking, or parking in a specified ‘no parking’ area, they (aggregate cabs) cannot be fined by the traffic police.
The problem
A resident of the area, requesting anonymity, said, “We have no animosity against anyone. When we see Ola or Uber drivers parking in our lane, we go up to them and try to reason with them and ask how they would feel if a non-resident took up parking space of their vehicle near their house? But they argue and speak to us in a rough tone. Our request to the authorities is to frame specific rules to restrict parking of such vehicles in purely residential lanes.
Issues residents face
. Lack of parking space for locals
. Nuisance for children, women, and elderly
. Security threat as there is no knowledge of identity of driver, vehicle owner
The residents wrote the Mumbai traffic police, uniting under the ‘Citizens group of the road of 24B Jain Society, Sion’ banner. In their letter (a copy of which is with mid-day), they stated, “We are residents of Jain Society, Sion, a very traditionally family-type residential area with mostly buildings that are at least four to five decades old, with no space for parking inside the buildings. Since inception, we have been parking our cars on the roads outside our buildings. But lately, our area has become infested with loads of commercial vehicles including Ola, Uber, kaali-peeli taxis, tempos, trucks, etc… The owners and drivers of these vehicles do not reside anywhere near our society, still they park here.”
Speaking with mid-day on Friday morning, a group of residents who did not wish to be named individually, said, “As a result of the parking of unauthorised cabs and even tempos and trucks in our quiet lane, we have faced a lack of parking space for our own vehicles, and we feel threatened for our children and our daughters. None of our family members want to take a walk in our lane at dawn or dusk. Our daughters are scared to walk around alone; or rather we are scared for them.” The residents cited that they have noticed several aggregate cab drivers come to their area to break for lunch or dinner, and have alleged that they also end up occasionally smoking or drinking near their vehicles.
Further, the residents alleged that when trucks are parked along the roadside, they are used as shields to carry out “uncomfortable” or illegal activities.
Regarding complaints to the police and traffic department, the residents said, “We complain and traffic police respond. But by the time the response comes several minutes have passed, and sometimes the taxis have left the area. The drivers also facilitate shift handover by parking in our area. They hold spaces for each other, and only leave the locality by coordinating with each other to reserve their parking spaces.”
Area hotbed for parking
The roads are off the main Eastern Express Highway, leading to Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Road. Also, the lanes are less than 100 metres away from the main entrance of the Sion Municipal Hospital. Due to the quiet nature of the lanes, the roads are easily accessible for all vehicles.
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No. of internal roads affected
OfficialSpeak
When mid-day approached the Mumbai traffic police’s Matunga division (with jurisdiction over the area) for comment, a senior traffic police official assured:
. Strict action against unauthorised parking; traffic police at the spot for action regarding lanes 18, 24A, 24B, 25 soon as complaints are received
. Proactive measures to ensure problem is solved; traffic police personnel to be stationed immediately to man the roads 24*7
In case of criminal activity
. Even in cases of criminal activity due to parked vehicles, Mumbai Police needs to be informed to increase patrolling and safety measures
What rules state
As per the rules of the Mumbai traffic police, parking in the carriageway of any road has been prohibited. In-principal, local residents of any area who own vehicles should be able to park in their own area or the vicinity of their house. For this purpose, there are designated parking and no-parking spaces in the city and information about these is available on the Mumbai Traffic Police mobile application.
