Despite receiving repeated complaints about skywalks, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) does not seem to have learnt from its mistakes. The landing of many skywalks occupy almost the entire width of the footpath, forcing pedestrians to walk on the road.
Nine skywalks are ready while seven are coming up, but it is unlikely that the problem will be addressed.
Take the skywalks coming up on Kasturba Road, Double Road and N.R. Square. The landing on either side of the very busy roads have left less than three feet space on the footpath for pedestrians. The landings of the ones in front of HMT Bhavan on Ballari Road, near Forum Mall on Hosur Road or on K.G. Road occupy the entire pavement.
Naveen Chandra, who works in a private firm on Kasturba Road, said that the new skywalk had effectively blocked the pedestrian pathway. “The skywalk ends on the footpath. You are forced to get down on the road and risk being hit by fast-moving traffic,” he said.
This problem has been brought to the notice of the civic body. A 2014 Directorate of Urban Land Transport (DULT) study on the then proposed 33 skywalks pointed out that they would, among other design deficiencies, block the footpath, ironically creating an impediment for pedestrian safety.
R. Hitendra, additional commissioner of police (Traffic), said that in such cases the purpose of a skywalk is defeated. The police have repeatedly brought this point to the notice of BBMP engineers who promised to rectify the error, but never came good on their promise.
Lack of space is one of the factors exacerbating the problem. Urban commute expert Sanjeev V. Dyamannavar said that the civic body plan the landing keeping in mind the needs of other pedestrians and acquire land from neighbouring properties where necessary.
Traffic expert Prof. M.N. Srihari has advised the civic body to widen the footpath to accommodate a skywalk.
Prabhakar, executive engineer, Traffic Engineering Cell, BBMP, in-charge of skywalks conceded that pedestrian pathways had narrowed due to the landing of skywalks. However, he denied that pedestrians are forced to get on to the carriageway. “The brief to us has been to build skywalks with the existing footpaths. BBMP is not acquiring any property for skywalks. At the same time, we cannot reduce the carriageway, as it will create a traffic bottleneck,” he said.
BBMP has now finalised a tender for another 29 skywalks, which will have to be ratified by the council. But no design change has been effected in these skywalks.
Sanjeev V. Dyamannavar, urban commute expert, says, “BBMP’s model of building skywalks is through ad revenue and not as a pedestrian safety facility. Each skywalk should be designed to the needs of the spot where the skywalk is being erected. Instead, BBMP is following a one-design-fits-all formula. Widening the footpath should be an integral part of the project.”
Skywalks
Seven under construction
Kasturba Road
Double Road
N.R. Square
Domlur-Inner Ring Road
Near Forum Mall
Taverekere Main Road
Near Jawaharlal Nehru Planetarium
PLUS...
National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) is building a skywalk at Kempapura Junction
Skywalk plan
Proposed: 137
Tenders finalised: 29
Reissue tenders: 75
No design change
No widening footpath
