Need to study pedestrian facilities, usability comes to the fore

The accident at Hebbal junction that took the life of a 14-year-old student has not only underscored the importance of pedestrian facilities, but also their accessibility.
There are many pedestrian underpasses and skywalks that have been constructed by the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) across the city. But for a few, many of these facilities remain either under-utilised or largely unused, as citizens seem to prefer at-grade crossing.
Statistics over the past three years show that a total number of 598 pedestrians have been killed in and around the city – 278 pedestrians were killed in 2019, 164 in 2020 and 161 in 2021. Though the number of deaths have slightly reduced, the death rates could further be contained if traffic rules are followed.
Analysis of the pedestrian accidents conducted by the traffic police revealed that over 70% of the pedestrian deaths in and around the city occurred due to crossing the roads other than designated pedestrian crossing. Though there are ample number of pedestrian crossings present, people jaywalk on roads and jump medians which is a matter of serious concern, B.R. Ravikanthe Gowda, joint Commissioner of Police (traffic) had noted.
Recently, as part of a special drive, the traffic police had surveyed and prepared a list of 240 high rise pedestrian crossings across the city. The BBMP had committed to taking up 50 high rise pedestrian crossings on priority and remaining in a phased manner. Meanwhile, to create awareness among pedestrians, the traffic police have selected highly sensitive places across the city to conduct awareness drives, which includes levying violators a fine of ₹10 for symbolic purposes, as mentioned in the Motor Vehicle Act, 1988.
BBMP’s chief commissioner Gaurav Gupta admitted that many pedestrian underpasses were not utilised. Citing the example of Basaveshwara Circle, he said many of the underpasses did not find favour with citizens, who preferred to cross the road at the signals. “This is, however, not possible on radial, arterial roads that witness heavy vehicular movement, such as Tin Factory, Silk Board Junction, Hosur Road and Ballari Road,” he said, adding that civic officials were in constant touch with traffic police on road and pedestrian safety issues.
Sapna Karim, head of civic participation at Janaagraha, stressed on the need for a comprehensive plan for pedestrian mobility. “Instead of knee-jerk reactions to accidents, the BBMP must have budgets and target deadlines to fix issues, which must be done locally. The ward committees may be involved in surveying the footpaths and roads. A multi-year plan is needed to fix the problems,” she said.
She also said there was a need to study the pedestrian usability of underpasses and skywalks, apart from stronger traffic calming measures in areas with high pedestrian footfalls. “This has to be done by the traffic police in coordination with the BBMP,” she added.
Bengaluru NavaNirmana Party’s Srikanth Narasimhan recalled the protests by local communities that led the BBMP to construct a skywalk at the Beniganahalli junction on Old Madras Road. “There is no doubt that more such pedestrian facilities are needed. Crossing busy roads where such pedestrian facilities exist should be made a punishable offence. The BBMP could put up signs urging citizens to use pedestrian facilities,” he said.