BENGALURU: A huge relief is in store for Namma Metro commuters in the near future. Deteriorating footpaths extending to 80 km around 26 Metro stations are set to be developed by the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) under a mega project to improve the city’s road infrastructure.
The stations have been selected after a detailed scientific study and practical assessment of Non-Motorised Transport (NMT) links across the city carried out by the Directorate of Urban Land Transport (DULT). “The footpath project forms part of our overall road infrastructure improvement project for the city. Altogether, 80 km of a total of 225 km of footpath to be improved across the city are located around Metro stations,” Palike Commissioner Manjunath Prasad told TNIE.
The project was announced in the 2017-2018 state budget, he said. Special Officer at DULT N Murali Krishna said the objective of the study was to create pedestrian-friendly streets in the city. “We got done Station Access Plans for 14 Metro stations. For Metro stations where these plans were not accessible, a 750 m radius around the metro stations was considered,” he said. Potential riders may be lost if they choose other means of travel if the pedestrian paths are indirect and fragmented, the study said.
Krishna said approach roads to the stations and other important cross roads connecting them were marked though GIS. The assessment of the scene around Metro stations revealed that high traffic volumes and traffic conflicts exist in and around the stations, feeder bus service was unavailable at some places, pick-up and drop off space was inconvenient and parking constraints existed.
Of the stations selected (see box), Vijayanagar Metro station will witness the maximum improvement with 11.3 km of footpaths around it set for improvement. Cubbon Park and Puttenahalli Metro stations will have the minimum area around footpaths set for revampment, with 300 m identified around each of them. Krishna said that a detailed project report needs to be readied by the BBMP next. He said that a noticeable improvement in the footpaths will be seen with a few months. Also set for improvement are footpaths running to 27 km around small scale industries and 111 km around commercial establishments, educational institutions and markets.
Metro stations selected
Vijayanagar, Hosahalli, Atiguppe, Deepanjali Nagar, Magadi Road, Mysore Road, Baiyappanahalli, Halasuru, Cubbon Park, Tumakuru Road, Kuvempu Road, Mantri Square, Srirampura, Malleswaram, Rajajinagar, Mahalakshmi Layout, Sandal Soap Factory, Jalahalli, Dasarahalli, Nagasandra, Banashankari, National College, South End, Jayanagar, R V Road and Puttenahalli.