Bandra residents divided on proposed paid parking at Joggers Park

While one group supports the decision on the grounds of discouraging cars, the group against it argues for easier access to the few open spaces in the city

MUMBAI: The BMC’s decision to make the parking lot outside Joggers Park on Carter Road, Bandra, a paid one has erupted into a huge debate among residents. While one group supports the decision on the grounds of discouraging cars, the group against it argues for easier access to the few open spaces in the city.

Mumbai, India - July 05, 2021: People doing morning exercise at Joggers Park, Bandra in Mumbai, India, on Monday, July 05, 2021. (Photo by Satish Bate/Hindustan Times) (Satish Bate/HT PHOTO)

“When the BMC took over Jogger’s Park in 2017, it removed the ₹2 entry fee to encourage visitors to go to open spaces,” said Asif Zakaria, the former corporator of the area. “One the one hand, they advocate open spaces for citizens’ health but on the other, they are raising the cost of frequenting the space. The parking lot is used by a lot of Joggers Park visitors in the early morning and evening. Charging a minimum of ₹45 for each visit will either deter visitors or make them park on Carter Road, where they will add to the traffic.”

Zakaria explained that many of those travelling by car were senior citizens coming from as far as Khar and Santacruz to participate in laughter and yoga clubs. On Monday, he sent a letter to the assistant commissioner of H West ward, Vinyak Vispute, objecting to the decision. “This is all being done for the little revenue that the small parking lot will generate,” he said. “None of the park’s visitors were consulted about it either. If we don’t get a positive response from the BMC, we will start a signature campaign.”

Ozzy D’Souza, one of the senior citizens who frequents the park, echoed his views. “I have around 60 to 70 senior citizen friends who come in their cars to here, park for around an hour, exercise and then leave,” he said. “I live on Turner Road and have a car too, but for convenience and safety, I take a rickshaw to the park every day. If the BMC slashed the entry fee, why is it now introducing parking fees?”

Godwin Gonsalves, a former Bandra resident, however, pointed out that much of the parking lot was used by members of Otters Club, as the lot extended up to the club. “While I am not concerned about the paid parking, the parking there is very haphazard,” he said. D’Souza countered this, saying that while the initial portion of the lot was used by Otters Club members, the portion closer to the park gate was used by Joggers Park visitors. “Maybe this changes in the evening and Otters Club users park towards the Joggers Club end too,” he said. “But why should both be conflated?”

Alan Abraham, architect and urban planner, had a different perspective. “If people can pay for their cars and their upkeep, they can very well pay for parking,” he said. “Parking space is, after all, valuable road space that can be put to better public use, so it is fair to charge for them as they occupy space at public cost.”

When asked whether the proposed paid parking would deter people from visiting the park, he said it ought not to. “People can be dropped off, use public transport, or demand better footpaths and walk,” he said. “But it should deter those who don’t visit the park but use its parking lot. It will also deter locals who use the lot as a private parking space.”