What is that striking feature in our state capital Bengaluru which is conspicuous by its absence? In fact, its absence holds potential to attract global tourism – albeit with a statutory warning for the tourists: “Come and experience it at your own risk!”
Namma Bengaluru may have had a slew of sobriquets to describe the city nationally and globally, but the latest one – and the most apt – that deserves to stick now is: “City Without Footpaths”.
The irony is that the “Pensioner’s Paradise”, which Bengaluru used to be once, has today emerged as the biggest threat for pensioners and elders, because there are no footpaths for them to walk safely on. And the average modern Bengalureans – although constantly cursing under the breath for being presented with a city without footpaths to live in – seem to have accepted their fate, and absorbed the culture of a “foothpathless” city in their DNA. That probably explains why even in public spaces with the seemingly miraculous presence of a good footpath, Bengalureans still walk on the road, risking their lives with vehicles zooming past, rather than take refuge on the footpath – as if they are robotically programmed to do so.
This “robotic programming” can be explained. For a city with 1,672 Km of total road length, a pathetically meagre 3 Km is estimated to have proper footpaths on both sides of the road. The word “proper” in this context means a footpath that is safe to walk on for all age groups of people. But there seems to be a subconscious assumption that the very few footpaths that exist in the city are not meant to be stepped on. It is probably the value of its rarity that instilled a high degree of respect among the people (anything that is rare has higher value, right?), and setting one’s foot on something that is highly respected is a strict “no”! That is probably why those very rare existing well-laid footpaths are viewed with awe and wonder rather than be used for what they are meant for. The value of a footpath in Bengaluru, therefore, is justified by its existential rarity. Let pedestrian safety be thrown to the winds!
Since footpaths are rare in our city, people may be ignorant about what footpaths are supposed to be. So, for purely academic purposes (especially in Namma Bengaluru), the Indian Road Congress has specified guidelines for footpath design. As per that, footpaths should have a minimum 1.8-metre-width in residential areas and 2.5-metre-width in commercial areas to accommodate pedestrian traffic, including those using wheelchairs. They need to be evenly surfaced with durable, slip-resistant materials like concrete or interlocking blocks. They need to be designed to be accessible to all – most importantly to the physically challenged – which mandates proper ramps on which wheelchairs can be easily navigated. And footpaths need to have proper drainage to avoid water-logging.
Additionally – and crucially – footpaths should be free of obstructions like trees or utility poles, and should not offer obstacles for the pedestrians, because they are not competing in any athletic events like triple jump or long jump. And they need to be well-lit and well-maintained for the safety and comfort of the pedestrians.
Lately, a new study published in The Lancet Public Health states that walking 7,000 steps daily can reduce risk of death by 47%, dementia by 38%, depression by 22%, heart disease by 25%, diabetes by 14%, an elder suffering a fall by 28%, and developing cancer by 6%.
The safety of well-barricaded footpaths can play a significant role in preventing chain-snatching cases, besides bringing down road deaths when pedestrians walk on the roads due to the lack of them.
The state government and the civic authorities could do well to take note of the multiple benefits of equipping Bengaluru – as well as all other cities in Karnataka – with properly designed footpaths along the entire length of roads on both sides where pedestrians can be allowed to walk safely.
But the mysterious abhorrence among the ruling parties in Karnataka and the civic authorities, irrespective of their political leanings, towards providing proper footpaths, remains just that – a mystery! Added to that, the absence of a mass movement among the public to demand footpaths is more like surrendering to fate bestowed upon them – triggered by that apparent abhorrence towards footpaths by those in governance.
That is why footpaths in Namma Bengaluru can be compared with steaks: preferred ‘rare’, not ‘well-done’! And that is the story behind the absence of footpaths in Namma Bengaluru. Walk on in peril!
Nirad Mudur
Deputy Resident Editor, Karnataka
niradgmudur@newindianexpress.com