Citizens' group proposes 'Bellandur Walks'

After many accidents involving pedestrians in the Bellandur area of East Bengaluru, a citizens' group called 'Bellandur Jothege’ (Bellandur Together) has come up with a plan for pedestrian-safe roads. A detailed blueprint and proposal have been placed before the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) to transform 28 km of roads across Bellandur, which will make the stretch pedestrian-friendly.

The proposed project report called "Bellandur Walks", has a complete blueprint of world-class pedestrian infrastructure which has been split into two phases. The first phase of four kilometres starting from Bangalore Central, near the outer ring road to Wipro corporate office on Sarjapur Road has been approved by BBMP but the budget estimate is pending.

“It’s been two years of groundwork and hundreds of hours mapping each of the Bellandur Walks footpaths. After many pedestrian accidents on this stretch, we came up with this idea of preparing a report of the pedestrian-friendly road. Mayor R Sampath Raj green-signalled this proposal last month, but the officials have to take up this report seriously and help to construct the pedestrian infrastructure,” said Kishori Mudaliar, a founding member of Bellandur Jothege.

According to the report, 2,240 pedestrians were killed on the outer ring road between 2011 and 2017. “Pedestrian infrastructure should be a priority. If this proposed model is implemented on this stretch, the pedestrian-related accidents will come down,” she added.

Final sketch by a junior Bellandur activist Aadiv Reki (13) of Bellandur walks

Amenities in the proposal:

Some of the Bellandur Walks model proposals are.

* Minimum 0.9m/1.8m clear pedestrian walking zone

* Rubber pavers and pedestrian barriers

* Pre-fabricated compact shops and recycled material shelters

* Solar-powered street lights and recycle waste bins

* CCTV cameras

* Slim bus shelters and bollards at crossings, lakeside walking/cycling trails, plazas under flyovers with food kiosks, junction roundabouts, and kerb ramps.