Upcoming parking lot to provide relief to pedestrians

Y. Maheswara Reddy | NT

Here is good news for pedestrians using the stretch of Cunningham Road that connects Infantry Road to reach Cubbon Park Metro Station. The road was not safe, especially for women, as there were no street lights.

The other problem was that vehicles were parked on both sides of the road, while one side of the road was full of temporary sheds put up by workers engaged for Bengaluru Smart City Project works.

Now, the Bengaluru Smart City Limited (BSCL) authorities have decided to remove the shelters and develop a parking lot on one side of the road (adjacent to the Information and Public Relations Office compound) and a footpath along the compound of Eden Park hotel.

“All these years, the stretch was pitch-dark and it was not safe for pedestrians and those who want to board the Metro train at Cubbon Park Metro Station. There were no street lights. Now, I am very happy to see the ongoing cleaning process on this stretch. I hope the BSCL authorities will develop this stretch on par with adjacent roads,” said Ramesh S, an employee of a private company.

Raju N, who visited a nearby hotel for snacks, said the road was neglected for quite a long time for the reasons best known to the authorities concerned. “I was not happy to see this stretch in a pathetic condition when compared to other roads in the area. I hope that no vehicles will be parked on the road after BSCL authorities develop a parking lot,” said Raju.

BASL assistant executive engineer Kodanda Reddy has said that the cleaning process is on and the digging work would begin from Wednesday.

“We have decided to convert the vacant space on one side of the road into a parking lot. We are also planning to construct a footpath on the other side of the road for the benefit of pedestrians. This stretch may be converted into a bus bay for Metro feeder service in future,” he said, adding that the development of parking lot and footpath would be taken in a phased manner. He said the road would not be closed for vehicular traffic.