In its march for better connectivity by building flyovers, metro lines and highways, the city's planners have given pavements the short shrift. Citizen-led drives to reclaim footpaths for pedestrians appear to have made little difference as pavements continue to shrink, pushing pedestrians to the streets, quite literally.
While encroachment of pavements — by street vendors or by motorists who use footpaths for parking — has been a persistent problem, Namma Metro construction and recent road projects of the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) have added to the chaos.
One case in point is the stretch between Aurobindo Marg and Sangam Circle in J.P. Nagar, where metro construction is underway. The pavement on this stretch of road has been blocked to make way for metro works. Without any alternatives, pedestrians are forced to walk on the busy road alongside buses and other vehicles.
In several instances, the civic body, after taking up repair works, leaves rubble on the pavements, which is not cleared for months, citizens said. An entire stretch of footpath near Madhav Rao Circle is covered in rubble owing to ongoing construction work.
Bhagya, a local vendor, said that some of the rubble has been lying on the footpath for over a month now.
This is a problem that is seen in several localities. The 29th Main in HSR Layout Sector 1, where the Palike is taking up construction of a footpath on either side of the road, is a complete mess, as the civic body has not bothered to clear the rubble, said Kamesh Rastogi, a resident. “They have taken up construction work on both sides of the road at the same time. This doesn’t leave any space for people to walk on the stretch,” he said.
While in some places, the existing pavements had been rendered useless, in several others there are no footpaths to begin with.
Pawan Mulukutla, a resident of Kanakapura Road, who lives beyond Yelachenahalli metro station, said residents routinely face a problem walking on the main road owing to the absence of footpaths. “BMRCL has said that they would be redoing the area around metro stations. We should see this as an opportunity for footpaths along the metro line, as there are no footpaths on most of the metro corridors.”
Dr. Ashish Verma, associate faculty, CiSTUP, IISc., felt it is the need of the hour for the Palike to take stringent measures to curb footpath encroachment. “When it comes to construction activities, the authorities are totally negligent about accounting for pedestrian movement in the construction zone. The good practice internationally is that whenever there is construction activity, they provide dedicated temporary pedestrian ways. The issue of illegal parking and encroachment of footpaths needs to be dealt with very strongly,” he said.
BBMP Commissioner N Manjunath Prasad said that the Palike has been taking up enforcement drives from time to time to clear encroachments. “We conducted one such drive recently in Mahadevapura. It’s an ongoing process. We clear encroachments but they reappear some months later. We will intensify the drives,” he said.
Project near Bellandur lake
Claiming their right for pedestrian-friendly pavements, citizens’ group Bellandur Jothege has written to Mayor Sampath Raj requesting Rs. 10 crore funding for ‘Bellandur Walks’, a programme which aims to develop a obstruction-free walking zone in the locality. The group has identified 28 km of walking areas in and around Bellandur where a model footpath can be constructed. The group is developing a design to include composters, dustbins and bollards on the pavements.