Bengaluru groups that are advocating for better footpaths

A viral video of an elderly woman in Kerala stopping a biker from riding on a footpath has sparked conversations about pedestrian rights and safety. In Bengaluru, too, some individuals and groups are working to ensure that footpaths are accessible, clean, and properly designed.

Flag and fix

Walkaluru has been organising walks to assess how pedestrian-friendly our city footpaths are, and flag key issues. These ‘footpath walks’ bring together citizens, corporation commissioners, MLAs, and representatives from RWAs. Ten walks have been conducted since November, covering nearly 100 km and involving 1,000 citizens. 

Arun Pai, coordinator of Walkaluru, says they identify 10-15 km of footpaths to survey with the help of ward committees and engineers. Wherever possible, minor issues are fixed before citizens are invited to assess the stretch.

Pai encourages residents to do their bit and approach local engineers to get repairs done. All civic grievances can be reported through channels such as the Sahaaya app.

For upcoming walks, look up @walkaluru on Instagram.

New audit from Friday

In 2023, Sensing Local, a research organisation, conducted a walkability audit to document footpath conditions across 19 wards, including Koramangala, J P Nagar, Basavangudi and Amrutahalli. The findings were submitted to the civic administration but did not lead to action immediately due to limited city budgets, says cofounder Ankit Bhargava. “In 2025, the data was used to create city budgets to factor in improvement of footpaths and junctions,” he says. These audits have now received support from GBA. The team along with the World Resources Institute India is profiling approximately 1,500 km of arterial and sub-arterial roads to build a centralised database to help identify streets that need urgent improvement.

“Profiling helps to identify whether a footpath exists, and if it does, we document its width, height and the materials used,” Bhargava explains.

The profiling effort will begin this Friday and continue until April. The team is looking to partner with educational institutions for the exercise.

Contact [e-mail] to participate. 

Small wins

Social activist Aniruddha Jatkar identifies footpath problems and escalates them to the authorities. He also takes up issues brought to his attention by citizens.

Through his campaign #Swacchathegaginanusahabhagi, he highlights footpaths that are littered, poorly maintained, unscientifically constructed or encroached upon. “While litter often gets cleared within hours, redesigning footpaths takes time and requires government involvement,” he says.

He has previously flagged garbage dumping on pavements in areas such as Jayanagar, Basaveshwaranagar and Peenya, which were later cleared. He has now raised concerns about garbage dumping near the Banashankari temple and vendor encroachments at Sarakki Circle, and is awaiting action.

Citizens can share details of footpath concerns with him on Instagram at @aniruddhajatkar.

App for complaints

Citizens can raise complaints about footpaths on the unified app Namma Bengaluru (Sahaaya 2.0). Select BBMP from the menu, and road maintenance in the category. After this, select the footpath in the subcategory, add details of the issue and photos, along with other details like ward no and ward name, and submit your complaint. It is available on Play Store or App Store.