Bengaluru: \"Adjust beda, Footpath Beku\" Pedestrians put their foot down

Bengaluru: Pedestrians have always got a raw deal from city’s planners and whatever space they get for footpath gets usurped by hawkers. But of late, thanks to some citizen initiatives, there have been attempts to reclaim footpaths in some parts of the city. Residents of Sanjaynagar have been collaborating with the DULT and BBMP to implement pedestrian-friendly footpaths. What started off as a pilot project a month ago, supported by CiFOS (Citizens for Sustainability), designed by DULT and implemented by BBMP on a small stretch of Sanjayanagar Main Road, has  proved successful. "Sanjayanagar Main Road is entirely commercialized. Initially, when redesigning the footpath was discussed, vendors were worried about losing business. The exact opposite was achieved at the end of the pilot," said Sathya Sankaran, member of CiFOS.

Kerb stones were decided upon by DULT, along with earmarking of separate vending zones, drop off, loading/unloading points for goods and parking spaces for the entire 3-kilometre road. "The trial was done between IAF Gate and Gedlahalli temple, ensuring no commercial encroachment. The road width was kept uniform. The drain covers which posed as footpaths had previously injured pedestrians, especially senior citizens. These were replaced with proper kerb stones," Sankaran said.

This encouraged pedestrians to use footpaths and avoid waling on the busy road, risking their lives and slowing down traffic flow. Since the 3-kilometre main road is the commerce lifeline for wards 18,19,20 and 35, the citizen representatives want the project to be implemented for the whole stretch. In order to raise awareness and bring it to the attention of authorities, a silent human chain campaign "Adjust beda, Footpath Beku" will be organised on Sunday, at 9:30 am from Radakrishna Temple along this road. In many parts of the city, especially roads without TenderSure, citizens are reclaiming footpaths.