Mumbai: Lokhandwala Residents’ Association (LRA) of Kandivali (E) wrote to the Traffic Police highlighting traffic issues faced by the citizens due to horizontal bike parking at Hanuman Nagar. The residents’ association demanded the police to ensure that the bikes are parked parallel to the footpath to bring an end to the daily discomfort of citizens.
After the widening of Akurli Subway under the Western Express Highway in Kandivali (E) has given a huge relief to commuters travelling from Akurli Rd, the traffic is getting clogged between Ambedkar Chowk eastwards towards Lokhandwala Township and Damu Nagar.
In a letter to the senior police inspector of Samatha Nagar Traffic Division, LRA said that residents are facing issues crossing over a 100 metre patch between Ambedkar Chowk till Banarasi Hotel on Akurli Road due to horizontal bike parking.
The letter claimed that horizontal bike parking starting from the Lalit Restaurant and Nityanand Restaurant till Banarasi Hotel is the major reason for traffic congestion. It also added that rickshaws taking u-turn at the Banarasi Junction due to incomplete work of parabolic divider installation by the roads department is adding up to the issue.
LRA claimed that the horizontally parked bikes occupy a third of the road width, making it difficult for the vehicles to pass smoothly. It also claimed that they have requested the restaurants in the past to organise the bikes parked outside their businesses but has not reaped any results.
“We’re aware of the traffic notification on Akurli Road but we’re not seeking to invoke the same because we understand that people need to operate businesses. At the same time businesses cannot be thriving at the cost of daily discomfort in traffic to local residents and commuters,” read the letter.
Shishir Vivekanand Shetty, founder of LRA, said, “Samta Nagar traffic incharge Jagdish Bhopale has always been proactive, his team has already taken cognisance of the issue and have started implementing the process within two days of receiving our letter."
