The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Pedestrians seek a better deal

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Oct 05, 2005

Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Pedestrians seek a better deal

Special Correspondent

Bangalore Association of Pedestrians United launched

BANGALORE: They gathered around the Mahatma Gandhi statue on October 2. Nothing new? This was to officially launch an organisation named BAPU. The acronym stands for Bangalore Association of Pedestrians United.

Lending support to the adults, including a large number of senior citizens, were several placard-holding children. Along with elders, children constitute a significant 16 per cent of pedestrians killed in road accidents.

What the BAPU activists emphasise is that at some time or the other, even those driving a vehicle have to walk along the roads and even cross them. Thus pedestrian safety concerns all.

Looking behind bare statistics, most accidents where pedestrians are victims occur at busy intersections or on roads where there are few or no marked crossings. St Mark's Road is one such where the only safe place to cross is near Bishop Cotton Girls' School where police personnel are always posted.

The grouse most walkers have is that even at "manned crossings" or those with a signal, they are allowed very little time to cross. Most often it is mad dash and collision with those crossing from the opposite direction. At many other places such as the eastern end of Mahatma Gandhi Road, pedestrians have to cross half the road and them wait in the middle for the signal to change again, risking life and limb.

What has irked the walkers more is the way sidewalk space has been allowed to be encroached upon, Roadside hawkers, shops displaying their wares or signage, take up most of the footpath leaving little room to walk. Sporadic action by the civic or police authorities to clear the footpaths does not work, the walkers complain.

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