Disappearing sidewalks of Peenya

Residents and pedestrians in Peenya face a tough time walking on the foothpaths as they are in bad shape and at most of the stretches, they do not exist.

For Umesh Kumar, walking on the footpath near Peenya 4th Phase, 3rd Main Road is a nightmare. Pointing towards the busy lane, he says, “It is a two- way road wherein vehicles come from Shivajinagar, Majestic and go towards Peenya 2nd stage, 1st stage and surrounding areas. Similarly, on the other side of the road, vehicles from Peenya area go towards Majestic, Hebbal, KR Puram, Jalahalli Cross and other places. Either a skywalk needs to be built or the road needs to be widened.”

The stretch from Peenya 2nd Stage to Jalahalli Cross via Nettur Technical Training Foundation (NTTF) Circle also has a similar problem. Subhash Shetty, a resident of Nagasandra, complains about lack of any footpath in Peenya 1st stage, 10th cross and Tumkur Road, MEI Factory.

“A few months ago, I wrote a letter to Peenya Traffic Police Station and National Highways Authority of India  (NHAI) to make provision for zebra crossing and traffic signal lights at Tumkur Road, NH-4, Nagasandra. It is a service road and moreover, the ongoing project of Peenya-Nagasandra Metro line has left the lane even more messy. Especially, children and women face problems while walking on the road as there are no footpaths,” adds Shetty.

According to the Peenya traffic police, skywalks should be immediately built at Jalahalli Cross signal and 8th Mile, Hesaraghatta Road since these are the most congested junctions in Peenya.

Here’s what a traffic police official from the area had to say: “It takes more than 15 minutes for a person to cross Jalahalli cross signal during peak hours. For pedestrians, it is a risky affair as there are no footpaths. There is a footpath along 100 feet road towards NTTF, but it is in dilapidated condition. In fact, the footpath has turned into an autostand. We have written letters to officials including those of the BMRCL, BBMP and NHAI, but they do not seem to care.”

Evening peak hours between 4 pm and 8 pm is when the traffic congestion peaks at Jalahalli Cross signal and also at 8th Mile. The nightmare for the pedestrians only gets worse then.