Uber launched the Mumbai edition of its ‘Parks not Parking’ campaign on Sunday.

The campaign, which was kick-started by actress Kalki Koechlin, aims to bring light to the issue of parking and congestion in the city and urge citizens to think of sustainability.

On Sunday, members of the Uber team set up a cricket pitch inside the parking circle in front of Regal Cinema.

“Our cities are experiencing a rapid depletion in forest cover. Through this campaign, we aim to educate citizens to choose smarter and shared mobility solutions and highlight the need to utilise urban spaces for building parks,” Manisha Lath Gupta, Marketing Director, Uber India said.

The campaign is also being held in Delhi and Bengaluru, both of which deal with traffic congestion and parking problems.

“Valuing our parks is the need of the hour. In the desperateness to accommodate for parking, we are also accommodating for more vehicles and more pollution. When we reverse this process and urge people to think different, they will pick up more sustainable ways of commuting like carpooling,” Ms. Koechlin said.

‘Risk of accidents’

Talking about how worried she is about children who have to resort to playing cricket on the roads in moving traffic, the actress added, “There is always a risk of accidents taking place while the children are playing. I hope that we can allot spaces for playing sports or set up pitches like these so that the children remain safe and can enjoy their game.”

Uber said that Mumbai has been plagued with parking space issues and traffic congestion for a long time.

Bystanders and people who had parked their cars at the Regal Cinema circle took turns in playing cricket on the pitch.

Jayessh Parekh, who played with his family, said, “We specifically look out for residential property on the basis of the sports amenities that they offer. I think this is a step in the right direction, because our children should get spaces to play, otherwise they will be glued to their devices and become lethargic.”

Mr. Parekh, who has played cricket on streets in his childhood, said his son got really excited watching people play here. “It is indeed the best way to bond,” he added.

Kaushik Sanghvi, who was passing by felt that due to the space constraint in South Mumbai, we have been forced to look for indoor turfs or take special memberships in Gymkhanas. “The essence of gully cricket has vanished from our streets. I hope that through this campaign, we can bring more parks for our children,” Mr. Sanghvi said.