In 2009, nearly 33K vehicles were towed away in Bandra

MUMBAI: If you park your car in Bandra and return to find it towed away, don’t be surprised. The ‘Queen of the suburbs’ tops the traffic police chart with almost 33,000 vehicles towed away in 2009. D N Nagar is second on the list with almost 26,000 towings. Tardeo, which tops the south Mumbai figures with 23,000 cars towed away in 2009, is third on the chart. Surprisingly, the distant western suburbs of Goregaon, Malad, Kandivli and Borivli figure among the top ten (see chart).

These telling statistics were provided by the Mumbai traffic police in response to a question by Breach Candy resident Chetan Kothari.

A combination of factors has resulted in Bandra being the most difficult place to find parking space. Its charming cottages are being replaced with high-rises, its seaface is a popular hang-out and it has two busy shopping streets.

Bandra-based civic activist Shyama Kulkarni says high-rises must be forced to provide underground car parks as the second/third cars are invariably parked on the street. She also wants the traffic police to take action against cars parked on the pavement at spots such as Almeida Park.