That's because Mumbai car-free day was in reality a far more modest Carter Road carfree day.
The event, which has been an annual feature since 2010, is an initiative of the Khar Bandra Santacruz (KBS) Foundation. Its stated goal is to reduce noise and air pollution by banning cars on the 1.5-km stretch and encouraging residents to put on their walking shoes, or bring out their cycles, rollerblades and skateboards.
As part of the initiative, several activities, such as music performances and games for every age group were organised between Otters Club and the Cafe Coffee Day junction from 7 am to 10 pm.
But while thousands of Bandra residents cycled, strolled and skated their way down the stretch, several roads connected to Carter Road were clogged with traffic. The jams were at their worst at Perry Cross Road, Shirley Rajan Road and the ones that lead to Rizvi College and Union Park.
"I got into an auto at Bandra station and it took me around 45 minutes to reach Rizvi College. All roads leading to Carter Road were blocked, and many vehicles were taking wrong turns right under the noses of the traffic police," said Chetna Sukumaran, a banker.
Genesia Tahilramani, a writer and a resident of St Paul's Road, said that while the road is always clogged with traffic on weekends, yesterday's jams were much worse than usual thanks to 'car-free day'."Bandra has always had a car-free culture. This has been eroded in the past decade. If the powers that be concentrated on preserving pedestrian culture, maintaining pavements, making sure people obey traffic rules, being strict about parking even in the little lanes of Bandra, it would be better PR for them than this," she said. Tahilramani added that debilitating traffic jams have ironically become a feature of car-free day. "Also, it remains to be understood that why is the event called Mumbai Car Free day as its more of a Carter Road carnival. Ironically, car-free day creates more air pollution and noise pollution across Bandra.
If the organisers are truly concerned about these, they should have a no-car day for all of Bandra or all of Mumbai instead," she said. Anil Joseph, chairperson of the Perry Road Residents' Association, said, "A so-called residents group makes two powerful politicians -MLA Baba Siddiqui and MP Priya Dutt - their patrons, and then goes about blocking a main road and putting up stalls selling food and other things. Also, they have put up illegal posters across Bandra advertising this socalled car-free day. Yesterday, I removed all the illegal banners about the car-free day from Perry Cross Road."
Those who participated in the Carter Road carnival, however, had a different beiw of things."It was fun to cycle freely with friends without any worry of a speeding vehicle hitting you. There is no place to ride bicycles in Bandra so we should get this chance even if there is some traffic congestion,' said Nikhil Joshi, a college student.
A senior policeman from the Bandra traffic division said, "One major problem was that while the event was advertised as a carfree day, people came to Carter Road in cars parked them near the Coffee Day junction, causing some congestion. We posted four to five constables at important junctions but there was little they could do as the roads are very narrow."
Madhu Poplai, secretary of Pali Hill Residents Association and also part of the organising KBS Foundation, said, "There was no chaos and it was a trouble-free day. There was minor traffic jam but if you compare it to last year, it was almost 75 per cent less. We managed to finish the programme 10 minutes before the deadline and had some amazing participation from the locals of Bandra, who enjoyed the event thoroughly."
The event, which has been an annual feature since 2010, is an initiative of the Khar Bandra Santacruz (KBS) Foundation. Its stated goal is to reduce noise and air pollution by banning cars on the 1.5-km stretch and encouraging residents to put on their walking shoes, or bring out their cycles, rollerblades and skateboards.
As part of the initiative, several activities, such as music performances and games for every age group were organised between Otters Club and the Cafe Coffee Day junction from 7 am to 10 pm.
But while thousands of Bandra residents cycled, strolled and skated their way down the stretch, several roads connected to Carter Road were clogged with traffic. The jams were at their worst at Perry Cross Road, Shirley Rajan Road and the ones that lead to Rizvi College and Union Park.
"I got into an auto at Bandra station and it took me around 45 minutes to reach Rizvi College. All roads leading to Carter Road were blocked, and many vehicles were taking wrong turns right under the noses of the traffic police," said Chetna Sukumaran, a banker.
Genesia Tahilramani, a writer and a resident of St Paul's Road, said that while the road is always clogged with traffic on weekends, yesterday's jams were much worse than usual thanks to 'car-free day'."Bandra has always had a car-free culture. This has been eroded in the past decade. If the powers that be concentrated on preserving pedestrian culture, maintaining pavements, making sure people obey traffic rules, being strict about parking even in the little lanes of Bandra, it would be better PR for them than this," she said. Tahilramani added that debilitating traffic jams have ironically become a feature of car-free day. "Also, it remains to be understood that why is the event called Mumbai Car Free day as its more of a Carter Road carnival. Ironically, car-free day creates more air pollution and noise pollution across Bandra.
If the organisers are truly concerned about these, they should have a no-car day for all of Bandra or all of Mumbai instead," she said. Anil Joseph, chairperson of the Perry Road Residents' Association, said, "A so-called residents group makes two powerful politicians -MLA Baba Siddiqui and MP Priya Dutt - their patrons, and then goes about blocking a main road and putting up stalls selling food and other things. Also, they have put up illegal posters across Bandra advertising this socalled car-free day. Yesterday, I removed all the illegal banners about the car-free day from Perry Cross Road."
Those who participated in the Carter Road carnival, however, had a different beiw of things."It was fun to cycle freely with friends without any worry of a speeding vehicle hitting you. There is no place to ride bicycles in Bandra so we should get this chance even if there is some traffic congestion,' said Nikhil Joshi, a college student.
A senior policeman from the Bandra traffic division said, "One major problem was that while the event was advertised as a carfree day, people came to Carter Road in cars parked them near the Coffee Day junction, causing some congestion. We posted four to five constables at important junctions but there was little they could do as the roads are very narrow."
Madhu Poplai, secretary of Pali Hill Residents Association and also part of the organising KBS Foundation, said, "There was no chaos and it was a trouble-free day. There was minor traffic jam but if you compare it to last year, it was almost 75 per cent less. We managed to finish the programme 10 minutes before the deadline and had some amazing participation from the locals of Bandra, who enjoyed the event thoroughly."
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