By Aratrika Dey
Bengalureans have increasingly taken to social media to voice their frustrations regarding the persisting problem of footpath encroachment by cars and two-wheelers. In several places, the footpaths can be seen lined with rows after rows of two-wheelers and four-wheelers. Vehicle users are getting away with parking in ‘no-parking’ zones. The city lacks footpaths, and the pedestrians have no choice but to walk along the busy main roads, which is a safety hazard. And where there are proper footpaths, they are encroached by indiscriminate parking, and plant overgrowth. Big money is spent on laying expensive cobblestones, but there is nothing done to keep them neat and clean for pedestrian use.
The latest example of this is a footpath in the HRBR Layout. It was upgraded by the authorities only to end up as a parking lot now, and roads such as Dr. SK Karim Road and CMH Road have become a nightmare for pedestrians and commuters. “We have written several letters”; “Footpaths are choked with illegal parking”; “Bengaluru used to be a citizens paradise”, the comments are piling up online by netizens.
Bengaluru records the highest number of pedestrian deaths
The National Crime Records Bureau data of 2019 indicates that Bengaluru recorded 272 pedestrian deaths, the highest among 89 cities in the country. Similarly, a 2017 analysis of deaths due to road accidents in Bengaluru by Footpath Initiative, an NGO, showed that 44% of victims in these cases were pedestrians.
Encroachers in various forms
There are areas where the footpaths are either broken or uneven. Humungous amounts of garbage is dumped in the open. Besides, protruding electricity poles, plant overgrowth, street vendors, and unstable drain slabs line the stretches. In places, there is no proper infrastructure. The footpaths are covered in slush or rainwater, and electricity lines are out in the open. The walkability of these footpaths is non-existent.
Good footpaths only in some stretches
A few thoroughfares in the Central Business District (CBD) have good, wide footpaths, which allow free, safe movement of pedestrians, thanks to the ‘tender-sure’ roads. Paid parking lots have also been installed along the posh business district where an app allows people to find the parking spaces and pay online. The number of vehicles parked along these streets is negligible to nil.
Fewer accidents are reported from these areas compared to the ones where pedestrians have to walk alongside fast-moving traffic. According to netizens, the upgrades, however, are restricted to the CBD, and authorities have turned a blind eye to the rest of the city.
In light of the situation, the Bengaluru Traffic Police tweeted their support and have flagged several complaints on Twitter to the respective authorities.
