Navi Mumbai: Navi Mumbai, planned as a city with dedicated spaces for pedestrians, vehicles and public amenities, is increasingly beginning to resemble Mumbai when it comes to civic problems, with illegal parking spilling onto footpaths and forcing residents to walk on busy roads.
The problem is particularly acute in parts of Juinagar and Nerul, where footpaths meant for pedestrians have been occupied by two-wheelers, cars and commercial vehicles. With little or no walking space left, residents are being forced onto the carriageway and into the path of moving traffic.
Pedestrians lose walking space
For citizens, the issue is not merely about parking violations but about losing access to a basic civic facility. “The footpath is meant for us to walk. When it is occupied by vehicles, where are pedestrians supposed to go?” residents have questioned, demanding sustained enforcement rather than periodic drives.
Along the old Thane-Belapur Road and several internal roads connecting Juinagar and Nerul, vehicles are routinely parked along road edges and on pavements. The problem is particularly visible around commercial establishments, where visitors and employees often park vehicles because of limited designated parking space.
The encroachment leaves pedestrians with little choice but to step onto the main road and negotiate their way through moving traffic. Residents said the situation was particularly risky for senior citizens, women, children and school students.
Planned-city model under pressure
The situation also raises questions about Navi Mumbai’s planned-city model. While the city was designed with relatively wider roads, planned nodes and pedestrian infrastructure, residents said the growing pressure of vehicles and inadequate enforcement was gradually eroding these advantages.
“Residents should not have to risk their lives simply because vehicles are parked on footpaths. If there is a parking shortage, the civic administration and traffic police need to find a solution instead of allowing pedestrians to bear the consequences,” said a resident from the Juinagar-Nerul area.
Traffic officials acknowledged that parking remains a problem in some parts of the area.
Traffic officials promise action
“There is a parking problem in some areas. However, the traffic department has been conducting regular action against such violations. The situation in the area will be reviewed and appropriate action will be taken,” said an official from Turbhe traffic division.
The Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC), meanwhile, said it was working on introducing a pay-and-park system across the city to address the growing demand for organised parking.
“The traffic department has already identified spots for odd-even parking arrangements as well as no-parking zones. In a few months, the estate department will come out with tenders for the same,” said a senior officer from the NMMC engineering department.
Residents seek permanent solution
Residents, however, said enforcement drives have not provided a permanent solution. According to them, vehicles return to the same locations within days of municipal and traffic police action.
They have sought designated parking spaces, proper road markings and regular monitoring to ensure that footpaths remain free from parked vehicles.
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For many residents, the concern is increasingly about what kind of city Navi Mumbai is becoming. As commercial activity and vehicle ownership increase, they said the administration needs to ensure that the city’s planned infrastructure does not gradually turn into the same kind of everyday civic struggle seen in Mumbai.
“Traffic congestion may be unavoidable as the city grows, but pedestrians should not be pushed onto the roads because the footpaths have become parking spaces,” residents said.
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