Synopsis: Bengaluru’s Safe Footpath Drive has made a huge impact as it got back 491 km of footpaths in nine days. This is one of the major projects in the city to make streets safe for walking. The goal of the drive is to remove things that should not be on the footpaths, make it easier and safer to walk and help make the city a better place to live.
The drive started on July 1 and has been moving fast. The Greater Bengaluru Authority and the 5 municipal corporations in the city have been working together and they cleared 491 km of footpaths in 9 days. The project is about making footpaths safe for walking again. They are removing things, like illegal structures, parked cars and commercial encroachments that should not be there.
Key Highlights of the Campaign
Areas covered under the drive
The government says the latest part of the campaign looked at smaller roads that lots of people use, all across the five city corporations.Some of the roads that are now better include :
- Bengaluru West (122.62 km): Vijayanagar, Rajajinagar, Basaveshwaranagar, Malleshwaram, Magadi Road
- Bengaluru North (115.35 km): Hebbal, Yelahanka, RT Nagar, Thanisandra, Nagawara
- Bengaluru South ( 94.01 km ): Jayanagar, Banashankari, JP Nagar, BTM Layout, Bannerghatta Road
- Bengaluru East (88.42 km): Indiranagar, HAL, CV Raman Nagar, Mahadevapura, Whitefield Approach Roads
- Bengaluru Central (70.15 km): MG Road, Brigade Road, Commercial Street, Shivajinagar, Majestic, Cubbon Park Surroundings.
Authorities are removing things that are blocking the footpath, they are taking away shop extensions, advertising boards, building materials and cars that are parked in the place.
Corporation-wise Progress
The drive is being implemented across Bengaluru’s 5 city corporations, during the initial phase, officials reported that:
What Work Was Carried Out?
The campaign included key actions:
- Getting rid of commercial setups
- Clearing carts and obstacles from roads
- Towing cars parked on sidewalks
- Removing cars that were left abandoned
- Fixing pavement
- Making it easier for people to walk
- Making sidewalks without barriers where possible
The state government has set aside 70 crore rupees to fix damaged sidewalks, on 2000 kilometers of main and sub-main roads.
Why the Drive Was Launched
The city is doing something about the fact that people need to be able to walk on the sidewalk without anything getting in their way because the Supreme Court said that having a place to walk is a basic right for people who are walking. In Bengaluru 1000 people die in accidents on the road every year and people who are walking make up 30% of these deaths, which is why the people in charge are trying to make the sidewalks safer for people to walk on.
What’s Next?
Officials say the campaign will keep going in neighbourhoods, they will take action against encroachments.The plan is to clear footpaths and fix damaged pavements, authorities also want to make it easier for people to walk around. They will keep an eye on pedestrian paths to make sure they stay usable, this will be done by checking and fixing them regularly.
