Not a clean stroll: Underused foot overbridges in Bengaluru pose security dangers

Donning shiny white lab coats, college students dart throughout the highway in entrance of St. John’s Medical College and Hospital in Koramangala. Lunch time has descended upon them and they’re making a splash for the canteen on the opposite aspect of the highway. The median is stunted. Just a facile soar would do. Given this, a foot overbridge (FOB), 50 metres from the hospital gate, stands ignored. Hunger pangs may readily be blamed for this risk-taking behaviour. But whereas on a full abdomen, college students have brushed the FOB off curtly as if it have been an uninvited visitor.

Built round 5 years in the past for the advantage of college students and sufferers, this facility close to Gate 2 of the hospital stays underutilised, getting used solely when the medical college students take the steps to movie quick movies. Even a barely older section of the pedestrian inhabitants provides the FOB the chilly shoulder. And seniors give the FOB a large berth, as it’s divested of its lifts.

There is not any dearth of underused FOBs in Bengaluru. On the identical highway, three kilometres away in Jakasandra, an FOB is an image of desertion and neglect, its metallic walkway displaying indicators of corrosion.

Sometimes, FOB-avoiding behaviour is fuelled by the dearth of lifts or escalators or the dearth of religion in them, when they’re functioning. In a submit on Instagram earlier this yr, the Bengaluru City Police described the harrowing expertise of a 50-year-old girl being caught in a carry close to the skywalk at Nagarabhavi bus stand in Chandra Layout police station jurisdiction. A citizen had known as the emergency helpline of the Bengaluru City Police Namma 112 in search of assist. The iron wires on high of the carry needed to be yanked out to rescue the lady.

According to Bangalore Traffic Police, a complete of 4,784 highway accidents circumstances have been reported in 2024, during which 893 individuals have been killed and 4,052 individuals have been injured. Of this, greater than 200 killed concerned pedestrians. Did a few of these pedestrians lose their life as a result of they determined in favour of crossing the highway with out the assistance of an FOB close by, solely as a result of it was not user-friendly?

A overwhelming majority of humanity desires to expend minimal vitality whereas in search of to have its targets realised. That is an umbrella truism and it covers FOBs as properly. An FOB, even that which comes full with lifts or escalators, seems uninviting if one has to cowl appreciable floor to achieve it. Therefore the placement of an FOB issues as a lot (if no more) as its user-friendly, bodily options.

FOBs and skywalks are sometimes proposed as indispensable aids to secure pedestrian crossing in any metro, however the floor actuality proves in any other case.

Of the 82 skywalks within the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) limits, greater than 20 are beneath totally different levels of completion. As per knowledge shared by the Traffic Engineering Cell of BBMP, a majority of the amenities that got here up after 2007 have been supplied with a carry or escalator. A very good variety of the operational FOBs are constructed beneath public non-public partnership and include an in depth circuit tv digicam and watchman.

But the present standing of those skywalks go away loads to be desired. Officials say the large problem they face consists of acts of vandalism on lifts. Repairing them following each such act is an avoidable value to the recurring expenditure of sustaining these amenities.

More infrastructure initiatives

An enormous chunk of the funds proposed by BBMP was directed in direction of infrastructure growth — skywalks that includes in them. Before contemporary tenders are known as for developing new skywalks, can varied stakeholders concerned in such initiatives preserve behavioural insights in thoughts from the design stage to extend the patronage of those amenities?

Prakash Sharma, a Behavioural Strategist and co-founder of 1001 Stories, says the challenges in utilizing skywalks are behavioural, socio-cultural and holistic.

If these three could be higher understood when designing such infrastructure initiatives, then it could actually improve design, person expertise, enhance security and assist in selling desired behaviours.

Talking about how skywalks can improve the protection of pedestrians in a metro, Prakash says it’s simpler to get individuals to make use of them, if consolation is the hook, relatively than security.

“For occasion, skywalks needs to be aesthetic. The steps shouldn’t look intimidating whenever you design such a venture. The partitions of the escalator, particularly on the walkways, shouldn’t be lined from high to backside — openness alerts security. One additionally wants clear nudges to tell the general public that an FOB is situated inside a sure distance.”

He urged making the entry factors resulting in the skywalks interesting. “Finally, individuals interpret issues in context — an FOB doesn’t make sense and can be ignored within the absence of the bigger context of ample strolling areas and usable, respectable footpaths,” says Prakash.

In the previous, The Ugly Indians fastened black spots close to skywalks resulting in Old Airport Road, Marathahalli and Domlur.

Design requirements

Arun Pai, who together with Deepesh Agarwal initiated the #BLRFootpath Challenge in 2024 to charge footpaths throughout the town and flag any problem, positions an FOB as a element within the bigger pedestrian infrastructure and an answer created for sooner and safer visitors motion.

“We are asking civic authorities to make pedestrians the main focus of our planning. Today it’s an afterthought and FOB is an excellent greater afterthought. FOBs are constructed after the footpath is made, so we want requirements whereas designing such amenities in order that such infrastructure initiatives don’t block motion of individuals,” says Arun.

A very good footpath shouldn’t be ruined by developing an FOB. “In many localities, FOBs block the footpath, and the world beneath the FOB stairs is used as a mini-dump,” says Arun.

Officials from the visitors engineering cell say a necessity evaluation is completed with a number of stakeholders, together with visitors police and citizen teams, earlier than deciding on the placement of a skywalk. At many arterial roads the place skywalks are offered, the civic administration additionally makes it a degree to extend the peak of the median in order to stop individuals from darting throughout the highway.

Proposal to GBA

Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Karthik Reddy mentioned that the Bengaluru Traffic Police have submitted a proposal to the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) for building of 78 skywalks throughout the town. These places have been recognized primarily based on areas the place pedestrians at present take 20 to 30 seconds to cross the highway. At such factors, vehicular visitors typically has to cease for 200 to 300 metres, resulting in congestion. The concept behind the proposal is that constructing skywalks at these particular places may cut back visitors slowdowns attributable to pedestrian crossings.

Some of the important thing areas the place the visitors police have urged skywalks embrace ITPL Road, Outer Ring Road, Varthur to Old Airport Road, Whitefield Main Road, Cubbon Road, Kanakapura Road, Sarjapur Road, Bannerghatta Main Road, Dr. Rajkumar Road, amongst different key areas.

However, Reddy clarified that the Traffic Police’s position is restricted to figuring out downside areas and that they don’t deal with or counsel on the engineering or design elements of the skywalks. Their concern is strictly the congestion attributable to pedestrian crossings and the way it may doubtlessly be eased by means of the development of skywalks.

Officials from the GBA, together with one of many zonal engineers, famous that the proposal has not but been in discussions. “One of the explanations is that constructing skywalks entails monetary implications for the GBA, which prefers to assemble such initiatives by means of a public-private partnership (PPP) mannequin. In a PPP mannequin, non-public companions are liable for funding, design, and building. Since the proposal remains to be at an early stage, it has not but reached the extent the place design or building selections have been made,” the official added.

At-grade crossing

But are FOBs actually the most suitable choice for pedestrian crossing?

Those engaged on transport and growth insurance policies are of the view that the very best method during which pedestrians can cross a highway is through the use of at-grade crossings which have safety-enhancing measures firmly tucked in place. For, climbing the steps of a FOB or a subway calls for an additional effort even for the younger and nimble, not to mention seniors.

S. Velmurugan, chief scientist and head of Traffic Engineering and Safety Division, Central Road Research Institute, New Delhi, says standard skywalks and FOBs take longer time to cross due to this fact at-grade or pace desk or desk high crossings have to be most well-liked.

“We shouldn’t search for vehicle-centric growth. If a metropolis can’t present a desk high crossings then no less than go for half subways,” says Velmurugan and requests new cities to contemplate half subways. In this, the design seeks to get round the issue of getting to climb a protracted flight of stairs by lowering the variety of steps. He says that is cost-effective as a result of lifts contain periodic upkeep and the persevering with value of operating them just isn’t wanted. However, this design has not taken off in a significant approach.

Velmurugan additionally cites the examples of Mumbai the place the usage of such amenities is commendable. He additionally cites the instance of Surat the place the non-public public partnership (PPP) mannequin has labored.

Experts say the civic physique should commonly examine elements that make sure skywalks well-liked or why some are averted. The amenities that aren’t well-liked in an space owing to location or poor amenities have to be tweaked to include facilities which are favoured by pedestrians. If retrofitting or shifting location of skywalks is an choice then it have to be tried. FOBs could in spite of everything stay a giant necessity.

(With extra inputs by Rishita Khanna)