If you gotta walk, you gotta walk. And find the space to do so, in a city that needs to pay more attention to the concerns of pedestrians.
Sometimes, one even needs to be creative to find the space.
Increasing awareness on the need to stay healthy has resulted in people identifying under-utilised places such as railway stations for walking.
Anna Nagar railway station, Inner Ring Road in Velachery, and the radial road connecting Thoraipakkam and Pallavaram, are some of the places walkers have identifies in the public domain.
The southern arm of Inner Ring Road, from Velachery railway station to Thillai Ganga Nagar subway, has become a favourite with walkers because of the wide road and minimum vehicular traffic.
S. Satish, a regular walker, said, in a place like Velachery, where there are no public playgrounds or parks, the six-lane Inner Ring Road has become a kind of health hub, with people walking and exercising peacefully under the elevated tracks of the Mass Rapid Transit System.
Anna Nagar railway station is another place frequented by walkers. With Southern Railway having stopped train services to the railway station, it has turned into a much-preferred exercise spot. Another interesting place is the northern side of Villivakkam railway station, where senior citizens come in groups to walk and chat.
Constable Road in Ayanavaram, which is one of the least polluted places in the area and has good green cover, is thronged by hundreds of avid walkers from the surrounding localities of Ayanavaram, Perambur and Otteri.
G. Gajendiran, a businessman from Otteri, said Constable Road has the perfect environment for walkers. The road belonging to Southern Railway is fully covered with avenue trees and has the least vehicular pollution.
Walkers said they prefer radial roads and inner ring roads for walking as these stretches are straight and long.
