The Dombivli traffic department recently carried out a surprise crackdown on unauthorised parking and rogue transport operators around the railway station. Personnel were deployed at certain pockets known for peak-hour traffic snarls. The team promptly fined multiple vehicles parked illegally and cleared bottlenecks. This had an immediate impact, with the stretch clearing up and residents expressing relief.

While much more needs to be done, such drives are needed across railway stations. This can be achieved through surprise checks and punitive action. The space and roads outside our railway stations are a free-for-all, with cabs and autorickshaws moving out of their designated parking lots. In fact, one witnesses mayhem at these spaces. Designated spaces for rickshaws are violated with rickshaws buzzing to pick up passengers. The entrances to bridges and station exits are blocked by vehicles, all vying for a slice of the passenger pie.

One has to arrive at Bandra station to see the chaos first-hand. People exiting are actually chased by a share an auto. Pavements are unfit or invisible, so commuters are walking on the road. At several stations, hawkers have simply staged a coup, so that pedestrians must weave their way through vehicles.