According to the latest transport statistics, Mumbai has witnessed a 107% jump in vehicular population in the past decade. “Kuch to karna hoga (something has to be done)… I am not a final authority and I am a Mumbaikar like you. Love the city and wish it was more motorable,” Police commissioner Sanjay Pandey tweeted.
Police commissioner Sanjay Pandey came up with a hashtag campaign #NoParkingNoCar and said he will take it up with car companies. The idea is shorthand for not registering new cars till they have proper parking slots.
Pandey pointed out that 600 new cars are added to the city roads daily and combined with the many app cabs, results in limited road space. A section of netizens welcomed Pandey’s decision to make the city roads more drivable while others hit out.
Former transport commissioner V N More had suggested NoParkingNoCar, but the proposal has been gathering dust in government files (see box for other proposals).
Ashok Datar from Mumbai Mobility Forum said, “‘No Parking No Car’ was the only solution, but this was unpopular among lakhs of car owners and politicians who owned over one vehicle. Datar said there were roads with vehicles parked on both sides impeding public transport and walkers.
“Since ‘No Parking No Car’ seems a difficult proposition, we need to look at alternatives like improving the parking system, introducing more pay and parking lots,” he suggested. Nearly 40% of cars in the city are parked on roads due to lack of proper parking facilities. There are many families in Mumbai with 2-3 cars.
