Mumbai: LBS Marg in Kurla declared as no parking zone

In a desperate bid to decongest the Lal Bahadur Shastri (LBS) Marg in Kurla, the Mumbai Traffic Police has declared the area as a no-parking zone; the order permanently bars parking of any vehicle in the stretch.

According to a notification issued by the traffic department on Monday, the stretch between Premier Junction and Maharashtra Kata, which falls under the jurisdiction of Kurla traffic division, will be a no parking zone.

Parking of motor vehicles on both arms of the LBS Marg from Premier Junction and Maharashtra Kata in Kurla has been prohibited.

Nandkumar Thakur, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Traffic Headquarters), who holds additional charge of Additional Commissioner of Police (Traffic), said that there was rampant illegal parking on the LBS Marg, which led to major traffic congestion. "There were local complaints, too, in connection with the congestion and traffic snarls on LBS Marg,’’ said Thakur.

Various arrangements were discussed and no-parking was deemed to be the best option, said an official. "We even considered implementing an odd-even parking arrangement, but since the Kurla stretch is predominantly slum-based, the arrangement would not have worked out,’’ DCP Thakur said.

The police said that if the LBS arrangement is successful, the No-Parking Zone is likely to be extended towards Ghatkopar and beyond.

Since there are no public parking lots (PPL) in the stretch at Kurla, the motorist will have to either park in the interior service lanes or the PPL at Ghatkopar and Vikhroli. The travel time, however, between this stretch on LBS Marg will diminish by a good 10 minutes, said an official.