Expansion of city causes footpaths to shrink, pedestrians in peril

Umar Sharieef | NT

Bengaluru: The civic infrastructure of Bengaluru has always left a lot to be desired. It is common for the public to encounter potholes, roads that are difficult to traverse on and obstacles caused by illegal construction. Another perennial issue pedestrians in the city face is that of shrinking footpaths.

The more the city is evolving in terms of infrastructure and development, the more lesser space people are left with to walk. There was a time when people used to occupy footpaths to walk safely, avoiding speeding vehicles. That has changed now. Most footpaths in the city have now become destinations for underlying and unused traffic barricades, stray dogs, telephone junction boxes and poles.

The public, in other terms, is forced to walk on the road, unwittingly causing disturbance to motorists, while putting their lives in danger. Footpaths; no more space for public To find a wide and material-free footpath in the city remains a dream for the Bengalurean these days. Be it Cunningham Road, Lalbagh or the Vellara Junction, none of these areas provide a safe pathway for pedestrians.

“Cunningham Road is one of the busiest roads in the city and the condition of its footpaths is worrying to say the least. We have a lot of businesses and various other establishments on this road, and the width of the footpath is very small, forcing us to step down on the road and walk. Somewhere, the footpath is wider but it also has a lot of poles and barricades. What is the use of such footpaths?” asked Ramya, an IT employee.

Activists claim these footpaths are limited to five feet and added that the government’s apathy must end. They also said the widening of these footpaths will not help if it is not materialfree. “If this is the result of the expansion of infrastructure and Smart City activities, then we don’t want that,” said Ananya, 33, an IT employee and a resident of the nearby Jayamahal Road.