[sustran] Bangalore is a city that cares for cars, and not you

[Vinay Baindur]

http://www.dnaindia.com/bangalore/report_bangalore-is-a-city-that-cares-for-cars-and-not-you_1590963




Bangalore is a city that cares for cars, and not you
DNA / Merlin Francis / Saturday, September 24, 2011 11:17 IST

There is nothing new about the poor condition of footpaths in Bangalore, but
what stirs the mind is the silence of the pedestrian who is exposed to all
kinds of dangers, thanks to the bad pavements or the lack of it. *DNA *takes
a look at why a Bangalorean remains a silent observer.

Most people in the city are oblivious to the fact that by its very
definition, a road is incomplete without a proper footpath and that the
pedestrian is an important stakeholder in the footpaths and also has the
sole right to use them. The municipal corporation has failed to disseminate
information that a common man could use to voice his concerns.

Kathyayani Chamraj of CIVIC says, “Pedestrians are mostly people who cannot
afford cars and have no voice when compared with the urban elite. Like a
class of urban poor, which is voiceless and not organised enough to express
its concerns, the pedestrians have not been able to shake or move the civic
bodies to improve the conditions of the footpaths in the city.”

Hasiru Usiru is one of the few groups actively organising programmes
expressing concerns and dangers that the pedestrians are exposed to. Sridhar
Raman, who has been conducting a programme ‘Come Cross the Roads’ to
inculcate the righteousness of the pedestrian, says, “The biggest reason
pedestrians aren’t voicing their anger is their failure to understand their
rights. The public, be it pedestrians or motorists, assumes that all road
infrastructure is meant first for vehicles. Pedestrians are assumed to come
much lower in the pecking order,” said Sridhar Raman.

He continues, “We see pedestrians scared to step down on to the road and
cross at a zebra-crossing, even though the right of way is with the
pedestrian. We see pedestrians giving way to motorists riding even on
footpaths; a vehicle has no right to be on the pavement. This lack of
awareness is the biggest reason behind the pedestrians not getting the
attention they deserve.”

If the public is made aware that the road and the footpaths belong to the
pedestrian first and foremost, more pedestrian voices will rise, added
Raman.

“City municipal corporation should have made ward committees for ordinary
pedestrians. Right now, it is not clear as to who should one complain to
about the ill-maintained footpaths—the ward officer, the corporator or the
engineer?” says Vinay Sridhar from Hasiru Usiru, an environmental group.

J Sreenivasan of Koramangala Matters echoed similar sentiments. “Who should
a pedestrian complain to? The BBMP? Forget it, it’s a waste of time. All the
pedestrian can do is to vent his anger and frustration and go back to
fending himself,” he says.

He also pointed out that Bescom’s structures are the next biggest hurdle on
Bangalore roads, with low-lying transformers and electric poles erected bang
in the middle of what may pass as a footpath. “There are helplines where no
one answers the call,” Sreenivasan says.

In defence to the flak concrete pavements draw, the BBMP’s engineering
chief, BT Ramesh, says, “We had laid the pavements with the interlocking
slab system about eight years ago. But after receiving complaints from
people, we started laying concrete pedestrian walkways.”

Meenakshi Bharat, a citizen activist from Malleswaram, says, whatever is
left of pavements, is being taken away by civic officials. “Huge areas are
being dug around the tree to ‘water’ them.”

A bigger nuisance is people turning every foot path into ‘pee land’. The
stench is so unbearable that people prefer walking on the road.

Manvel Alur, of the RWA in Koramangala says, “Where are pedestrian crossings
or pavements ever planned in the larger scheme of things? Koramangala,
Vasanthnagar, Adugodi, Vivek Nagar, Commercial Street are some areas where
there is hardly any footpath.”

“Motorists are given importance in our country and pedestrians are
forgotten, in spite of walking being a healthier, more energy and
environment-friendly option. The RWAs should work towards this in a big
way,” she adds.
*URL of the article:*
http://www.dnaindia.com/bangalore/report_bangalore-is-a-city-that-cares-for-cars-and-not-you_1590963-all