MUMBAI, Sept. 8 -- On May 31, Dr Nitin Salian, a surgeon with Wockhardt and Breach Candy hospitals, was walking near Pushpa Bhavan, Colaba when he saw a car entering a one-way street. The doctor gestured for the driver of the vehicle, a white SUV, to stop. Instead, two men alighted from the car, abused and assaulted the doctor, and sped away from the spot. Although Dilip Koli, the driver, was subsequently booked for wrong-side and rash driving based on Dr Salian's complaint, and the doctor's injuries from the assault healed, the menace of wrong-side driving on the road continues to this day. "Every time we complain, a traffic constable is posted there for a day, imposing penalties and registering cases against those driving on the wrong side. But the next day, when the cop is gone, the problem continues," said Dr Salian. With instances of wrong-side driving and one-way violation increasing across the city, the Mumbai traffic police have stepped up vigil across all 41 traffic divisions in Mumbai and deployed special teams from morning till late night at high-risk locations. Over the first eight months of 2026, the traffic police levied penalties against 25,530 violators compared to 11,762 such cases in the whole of 2025. Additionally, 253 driving licenses were suspended, first information reports (FIRs) were registered against 290 offenders, and vehicles were seized in serious cases. Satyanarayan Chowdhary, Joint Commissioner of Police (traffic), said the enforcement drive was started after it became clear during nakabandis and patrolling that wrong-side driving was a major cause of traffic jams and accidents across the city, and awareness programmes had failed to curb the menace. "We have intensified the crackdown by registering FIRs, seizing vehicles and initiating the process of cancelling driving licences of offenders. Wrong-side driving is a serious offence that can cost lives and errant drivers will not be spared," Chowdhary told HT. However, concerned citizens and motorists said that instead of penalising errant drivers, the traffic police should re-evaluate Mumbai's traffic scenario, and clearly demarcate one-ways and traffic restrictions. "The traffic police should remap roads in Mumbai as the city has changed considerably with the operationalisation of the coastal road and other infrastructure projects," said journalist Sucheta Dalal. "Moreover, many roads do not even have one-way signs which confuses drivers." Dalal referred to a recent altercation she had with a cabbie driving on the wrong side of Old Prabhadevi Road. "After the driver argued with me and asked me to show a signboard designating the road as a one-way, I went looking for signage the next day, but could not find any," she said. Traffic police officials, however, said many motorists engage in wrong-side driving to bypass signals, long U-turns and traffic congestion, creating a serious risk of head-on collisions. Wrong-side driving, they said, is rampant in Sahar, Mulund, Mahim Dargah Road, Malad, Mahakali Caves and other areas. Advocate Trivankumar Karnani, a member of the Mumbai North Central District Forum (MNCDF), said that despite penalties being imposed on offenders, the problem still persisted, resulting in fatal accidents. "FIRs should be lodged against violators. Only then will they have the fear of traffic laws," he said....