BANGLORE: Is there space to walk in the city? Bangalore has grown but its footpaths have shrunk, even disappeared.
Though Bangalore has an estimated road network of about 5,600 km, there is no record on the total length of footpaths. While pavements in the central parts are disappearing because of road-widening projects, there are no footpaths for the new roads being constructed in peripheral areas. The average width of footpaths in the city is between 0.5 and 1 metre, which does not enable comfortable walking.
The Union urban development ministry in a study ranked Bangalore 12th among 30 sampled cities on the walkability index. It raised concerns over pedestrian infrastructure being sidelined in urban planning.
It ranked Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Hyderabad and Ahmedabad higher than Bangalore on the index.
With pedestrians figuring in more than 30% of road accident deaths in Bangalore, the city has to work on expanding footpath space.
Read more: Where pedestrians wrestle for space - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bangalore/Where-pedestrians-wrestle-for-space/articleshow/7264341.cms#ixzz1AoLI3w00
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