BENGALURU: An audit of more than 120 public parks across Bengaluru has found gaps in accessibility at entrances, pathways, facilities, signage and play areas.
Only 34.8% of the parks allow users to enter without encountering a barrier, while 36.2% have a ramp at the entrance.
These are among the findings of the Bengaluru Parks Observatory, an interactive dashboard launched on Friday by Pacta, a Bengaluru-based law firm and policy think tank. Funded by the Australian Consulate and building on Pacta’s existing work on parks and accessibility, the dashboard is billed as India’s first citizen-audited accessibility dashboard for public parks.
The dashboard was launched at a multi-stakeholder meeting attended by civic-tech groups, urban planners, disability-rights organisations, corporates, academic institutions, parents and persons with disabilities.
Participants said while the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016, requires public authorities to make public spaces accessible, there was no consolidated, park-level assessment of accessibility across Bengaluru’s parks.
Conducted between June and July, the survey involved volunteers physically visiting more than 120 parks and assessing each against a common accessibility checklist developed by Pacta. The checklist covered entrances, pathways, signage, play areas, maintenance, facilities and operations. Every submission was geotagged and mapped to the respective city corporation.
Under the entrance category, 36.2% of parks have a ramp, while 46.4% have a step-free main entrance. Only 34.8% allow wheelchair users to enter without encountering a barrier.
Under the pathways category, 62.3% of parks have pathways smooth enough for independent wheelchair use, while 71% are free of obstructions such as parked vehicles, vendors or debris.
The assessment of toilets and drinking water found that 29.5% of parks have toilets, of which 61% are accessible. Only 5.4% have handwashing facilities, while 10.9% have drinking water.
The signage assessment found that 81.9% of parks have entrance signage, but only 10.6% have a park map. In the play areas category, 73.2% of parks have play equipment, and 75.5% of those equipment can be used, at least partly, by people with different abilities.
Pacta has also invited citizens and volunteers, including persons with disabilities, to continue contributing to the park audits. The aim is to keep the observatory updated as a record of accessibility across Bengaluru’s public parks rather than make it a one-time assessment.
Pacta founder Nivedita Krishna said, “Accessibility is really about whether anyone can step out of their home and use the shared spaces of their city with ease and dignity. This audit gives Bengaluru an honest starting point. There is a good foundation in many parks, and there are clear gaps that can be closed with the right attention and resources. We see this data as a common map rather than a verdict, and our hope is that the city, funders and residents will use it together.”