BENGALURU: A walk around Shivajinagar Bus Station is enough to reveal the pitiable plight of pedestrians in the city. Temporary stands erected by shop owners, goods dumped by furniture stores and roadside vendors parking their pushcarts dot every inch of these roads.
A stretch of road near Central Street houses furniture stores. For many shop owners, the pavements have tuned into spaces to stack mattresses for sale while others use it to display their wares. Pedestrians are forced to walk on the roads, risking being run over by vehicles.Along JC Road, shops selling helmets and tyres put up billboards on the pavements and have models of helmets on display. Around SP Road too, vendors put up boards or leave good stacked along the pavement.
Eateries open canopies, provide chairs
Another obstacle for pedestrians is stretches of footpaths turning into food streets by evening. Pavements near Sakra Hospital are lined with eating joints. “On the stretch from Sakra Hospital to Outer Ring Road, pavements are non-existent. In places where there are pavements, they are occupied by vendors,” complained Jyothika, a resident of Bellandur.
In HSR Layout, temporary stands in front of shops is a common sight. Eateries in the area take the liberty to stretch their canopies on to the pavement to make place for their customers to either stand or sit. A restaurant in the area also has a mini garden in front of the shop.
“I have brought these issues to the notice of the authorities. Clearly, officials, local politicians and the shop owners are hand in glove,” said a resident.
Roadside food stalls too follow suit. In parts of Rajajinagar 1st Block, stalls also offer customers chairs as they are served food on the pavement. Localities like Jayanagar 4th Block and Malleswaram 8th Cross, which have markets, have a thing in common. Vendors occupy either sides of the pavement blocking the way for pedestrians.
In Commercial Street, pavements are missing along most cross roads. Where there are footpaths, they have been turned into parking lots. A similar situation prevails in Chikpet where shopkeepers find it convenient to park their two-wheelers on the pavements as roads are too narrow.
Problem Areas
Rajajinagar 1st Block
Jayanagar 4th Block
HSR Layout
JC Road
Shivajinagar
Bellandur
Mysore Road
Malleswaram
Banashankari market area