Bangloreans want safer, cleaner footpaths; but words not enough

In the concluding segment of our three-part series on footpaths, citizens may be saying the obvious while suggesting what needs to be done. But the difference will be made when we ourselves make up our minds to make a difference... and wait for the authorities to wake up.

A movement has already kicked off in leading European cities to allow more space for pedestrians and discourage private transport in preference to public transport. The flavour of this movement is bound to influence authorities in Bangalore sometime or the other - sooner than later.

But for that to happen, the first step is to ensure that pedestrians have enough and more walking spaces, and safe ones at that.

However, none have budged even a finger to make any difference towards that direction. Instead, we see more and more so-called footpaths being allowed for dumping garbage, vendors to open shops, enable people to urinate and spit on them, and force pedestrians to live dangerously by walking on the roads to come right in the way of speeding vehicles.

This menace persists regardless, but citizens do have credible solutions; and they don’t mind screaming them out until they turn blue in the face, hoping that someone, somewhere among the high civic authorities — who decide the fate of things to come for our city — may feel sorry for them and take note, and act upon them. But that’s not all, the citizens say. There are things we can do ourselves to improve the situation while hoping the authorities wake up with some sense.

Meenakshi Bharat, citizen activist, says people themselves can take steps to prevent pavements turning into inconveniences.

“Stop dumping garbage on the footpaths. Make sure every ward regularly collects debris so that pavements are not filled with them. Develop a very basic civic sense that it is not okay to urinate in public,” she says.

“(For that) Make sure toilets are clean; that is the only way people will use it. Decentralise garbage collection, so that it is much more efficient. They (BBMP or traffic police) could also levy heavier penalties for violation of traffic rules.”

She advises the BBMP that while repairing roads, they should also ensure that they renovate footpaths and make them safer for all categories of pedestrians. “Make this mandatory so that along with roads, footpaths too are well maintained — at least when it happens.”  Residents suggested that authorities allocate traffic zone for hawkers so that they are not tempted to set up shop on footpaths.

Manvel Alur, of Koramangala RWA, says, “The BBMP should evict unnecessary poles, banners, and structures to allow easy movement for pedestrians. It should also ensure that there is no easy access for two-wheelers to get on to the footpaths and ride on them.”