Obstacles galore in path of Bengaluru’s pedestrians

BLR Footpath Challenge uncovers 219 obstacles across city; with 110, ORR, Sarjapur Road recorded highest number of obstacles

After a footpath audit, volunteers are out with the result: Across 100 km of Bengaluru’s footpaths, a staggering 219 obstacles have been identified.

These are findings of the BLR Footpath Challenge, an effort that was initiated by citizens to make the city more pedestrian-friendly. Nearly 70 people, from ages 9 years to the elderly, completed a 10 km run exclusively on the city’s footpaths, starting and finishing at Mahatma Gandhi Park on MG Road on the final day of the BLR Footpath Challenge on Wednesday.

The initiative started on September 15 was a tribute to both Visvesvaraya and Gandhi, who were known for their walking habits. Led by Arun Pai of Bengaluru Walks, this initiative encouraged people to rate footpaths based on their walkability. The 10K run aimed to test the public’s ability to navigate these footpaths, penalising runners who leave the path due to obstacles.

Colour-coded rating tells the story

The colour rating system of this challenge includes: black (indicating no footpath), red (fully blocked or damaged), orange (many large obstacles), purple (few small obstacles), and green (no obstacles). Participants walked and ran through these footpaths to identify areas that are obstacle-free, with the ultimate goal of creating a safer, more walkable city for all. Pai believes that many problems can be solved if officials step onto the streets and experience the same challenges as citizens.

Sharing his surprise at the turnout for the challenge, Pai told BM, “I had expected only a few athletes to participate, but to my surprise, nearly 70 people joined. After the run, we asked everyone to sign the board and mark how many obstacles they encountered while running 10 km on the footpath. Fifty participants reported finding between zero and five obstacles.”

Major revelations
The challenge revealed significant obstacles across various areas. The Central Business District (CBD) and Cantonment areas reported 26 obstacles, earning a green rating, indicating no major footpath issues.

The ORR and Sarjapur Road recorded the highest number of obstacles at 110, leading to an orange-red rating, signifying many large obstacles. The KR Puram to ITPL Main Road had 20 obstacles, and the Lalbagh and RV Road areas saw 17 obstacles, both receiving a green rating. Meanwhile, Koramangala, Intermediate Ring Road (IRR), Inner Ring Road (INR) areas saw 46 obstacles, resulting in a yellow rating, pointing to moderate footpath challenges.

Quick clearance
During the recent challenge, obstacles were quickly removed in key areas such as KR Puram to Singayyanapalya, Leela Palace to ISRO Junction, Yamalur on Old Airport Road to Divya Hub, and near ORR from Intel towards Bellandur. TV Mohandas Pai, Chairman, Aarin Capital Partners, cited the need for an integrated action plan and said, “The biggest challenge is the lack of interaction between government and citizens. Citizens must demand better planned infrastructure from the government, and planners must have a better vision for building such infrastructure. There is no one solution that can make traffic better, but a combination of better planning, infrastructure, footpaths, etc. Cities today need an overall plan with a vision of improvement over the next five years.”