Mumbai, India’s bustling financial capital, is known for its unrelenting energy, soaring skyscrapers, and the daily hustle of millions. But beneath the city’s glimmering skyline lies an unending, nerve-testing reality — its choking traffic. This issue was recently spotlighted by Radhika Gupta, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Edelweiss Mutual Fund, who voiced her frustration over the worsening congestion in the city, particularly in the central business district that locals have mockingly renamed “Slower Parel.”

On October 14, Gupta took to social media to share her experience, revealing that it took her 45 minutes to travel a mere 2 kilometers — from Parel to Lower Parel — a route that lies at the heart of Mumbai’s commercial landscape. Her post immediately struck a chord with thousands of residents who endure similar ordeals daily.

The trigger for Gupta’s post came after another Mumbai resident, Nilesh Shah, shared his own frustration with the city’s traffic mismanagement. In a viral post on X (formerly Twitter), Shah highlighted the chaotic situation at One BKC junction, where he observed commuters blatantly ignoring traffic lights and signals. “Record at One BKC junction signal. Eight minutes for Red Signal to turn Green. Traffic warden happily allows traffic to criss cross and block the junction. There should be a penalty for blocking the junction like in the Middle East,” he wrote, pointing to the lack of discipline and enforcement that has become synonymous with Mumbai’s roadways.

Gupta’s response was both witty and weary. “Nilesh Bhai, if you would like to feel better I invite you to visit Slower Parel. It takes 45 mins minimum to go a 2km distance from Parel to Lower Parel,” she said, using the now-popular nickname that reflects how painfully slow traffic moves in one of Mumbai’s busiest areas.

Her words resonated with thousands of daily commuters who face similar challenges navigating the narrow, perpetually gridlocked lanes of central Mumbai. The Lower Parel area, once a hub of old textile mills, has in the past two decades transformed into a commercial and residential hotspot — home to some of the city’s tallest office buildings, premium apartments, and upscale malls. But the area’s infrastructure, designed for a bygone era, has failed to keep pace with its rapid urban growth.

Gupta further pointed out that the current traffic chaos is not merely due to volume but also the lack of enforcement of existing regulations. “Many roads were supposed to have one-way traffic and no parking to compensate for Elphinstone bridge shutting down. Unfortunately, that is not being followed or enforced,” she noted. The closure of the old Elphinstone Road bridge — a crucial connector in the city’s midtown belt — had prompted authorities to plan alternate routes and regulate parking. However, as Gupta highlighted, those measures remain largely unimplemented.

Her post, which quickly went viral, prompted an official response from the Mumbai Traffic Police. Acknowledging the complaint, the department’s official X handle replied: “We have informed concerned Traffic Division for the necessary action.” While the assurance was welcomed, many Mumbaikars were skeptical that any meaningful improvement would follow.

The discussion soon expanded beyond Gupta’s post, as dozens of residents flooded social media with their own accounts of the city’s crippling congestion. One user lamented, “These days nobody likes to follow rules. They feel insulting. Look at Mumbai local train travel — more than 50% people are unauthorized.” Another shared a personal ordeal: “Last month it took me 2 and a half hours from BKC to Juhu. And yet the Bombay folks say Bangalore traffic is worse!”

Urban planners have long warned that Mumbai’s road infrastructure is under severe strain, with a disproportionate number of vehicles for the limited road space available. According to civic data, Mumbai has over 45 lakh registered vehicles, but less than 12% of the city’s area is dedicated to roads — one of the lowest ratios among major global cities. The growing popularity of private cars, the surge in delivery and ride-hailing vehicles, and ongoing infrastructure projects such as the Mumbai Coastal Road and Metro construction have further compounded the situation.

The Parel-Lower Parel stretch, in particular, has become emblematic of Mumbai’s infrastructural bottlenecks. Once a quiet industrial district, it now houses the offices of global financial firms, media companies, and high-end residences. The redevelopment of mill lands into luxury towers has increased the population density without corresponding upgrades to roads, parking spaces, or pedestrian infrastructure. The result is a near-constant traffic jam, worsened by roadside parking, double-lane obstructions, and chaotic turns at junctions like Senapati Bapat Marg and Tulsi Pipe Road.

Experts say that the lack of integrated planning between agencies is one of the biggest culprits behind Mumbai’s congestion. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), Mumbai Traffic Police, MMRDA, and various project contractors operate with overlapping jurisdictions, often without coordination. This leads to roadworks being conducted simultaneously across multiple adjoining stretches — further reducing road capacity and causing long delays.

A senior urban transport planner commented, “Lower Parel has become a classic case of development without design. You have premium office towers housing thousands of employees, but no structured plan for parking, access, or pedestrian movement. The public transport network is overloaded, and last-mile connectivity remains poor. Unless there is a strict parking enforcement and better coordination among agencies, the situation will only deteriorate.”

Gupta’s post also rekindled a broader conversation about the need for traffic discipline among drivers. Motorists in Mumbai, frustrated by long waits and inadequate signaling, often block junctions or enter crossings during red lights — a behavior that leads to gridlocks when the opposite signal turns green. This phenomenon, known as “box blocking,” is punishable under the Motor Vehicles Act, but enforcement remains weak due to manpower shortages and inconsistent monitoring.

To address this, experts have suggested implementing automated enforcement systems using CCTV cameras and artificial intelligence to detect violations such as signal jumping and obstruction of junctions. Cities like Singapore and Dubai have successfully implemented such systems, where fines are automatically issued to offenders, significantly improving compliance.

Meanwhile, civic groups in Mumbai are calling for stronger implementation of one-way routes and strict no-parking zones — especially in high-density areas such as Lower Parel, Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC), Andheri, and Fort. “We don’t lack laws. What we lack is willpower,” said a local resident’s association head. “The rules exist, but nobody enforces them. If someone parks illegally on a busy road, it can hold up traffic for half an hour. And the irony is, there’s a tow truck just a few lanes away.”

Adding to the chaos is the growing menace of delivery bikes and app-based taxis, which frequently stop mid-road to pick up or drop passengers. With limited enforcement and poor lane discipline, these sudden halts lead to bottlenecks, especially during peak hours.

Data from the Mumbai Traffic Police shows that the city witnesses over 3,000 traffic violations every day, including illegal parking, signal jumping, and lane indiscipline. While over ₹400 crore worth of challans were issued in 2024, experts say that punitive measures alone are insufficient without corresponding improvements in infrastructure and commuter behavior.

Commuters like Gupta, who rely on personal or chauffeured cars to navigate between meetings across the city, represent a growing segment of professionals affected by these inefficiencies. For many, what should be a quick commute of 10 minutes often turns into a 45- to 60-minute ordeal, affecting productivity and mental well-being.

The frustration among citizens is further fueled by contradictory road closures and diversions linked to the ongoing metro construction. While the new lines promise long-term benefits, their short-term impact has been severe. In many cases, two or three adjacent roads are dug up simultaneously, with little advance warning for motorists.

Experts argue that the solution lies not only in enforcement but in restructuring urban mobility itself. Expanding the city’s metro network, improving bus connectivity, and incentivizing public transport use are key to reducing dependency on private vehicles. “Mumbai cannot build its way out of congestion. We need to shift people from cars to buses and metros,” said transport policy researcher Anjali Menon.

Gupta’s candid post reflects a growing sense of urgency among Mumbaikars for tangible change. While civic agencies have assured action, citizens remain skeptical, citing years of unfulfilled promises. Until systemic reforms take shape, the phrase “Slower Parel” is likely to remain a painfully accurate description of life on Mumbai’s roads.