It is both illegal and unsafe for people on foot
Bikers and cyclists illegally ride on footpaths in Seshadripuram, inconveniencing pedestrians. The Observer has also noticed people riding cycles, bikes and scooters on the footpath adjacent to the JP Nagar Metro station.
Devika Nayyar, a school student, informed The Observer: “Many times motorists come in full speed on the footpath. It is quite dangerous.” To avoid overspeeding vehicles, “we walk on footpaths, but two-wheelers ride here too”.
Sandhya Nayyar, Devika’s mother, is worried for her daughter’s safety.
“There should be some discipline maintained by the traffic police. It is their duty to see where the vehicles are going. It is a pity that I have to think twice even before walking on a footpath,” she said.
Shashikala Ganeshan, a senior citizen residing in JP Nagar, spoke about how stopped going on morning walks because of this. “Earlier, I used to walk on the footpath every morning. Now, I can’t. This is because bikers just come and ride on the footpath. It was getting unsafe for me. So now I don’t go for morning walks.”
According to the Directorate of Urban Land Transport (DULT), footpaths are meant for pedestrians, not any vehicle riders. Riding on pavements and footpaths is illegal.
The Motor Vehicles Act, 1989, prohibits the use of footpaths by motor vehicles.
Muniraju KS, another senior citizen, recalled how he almost got into a quarrel with a biker a month ago. “The bike came at full speed and I almost lost my balance and fell. I was with my grandson. Instead of apologizing, the biker asked me to walk nicely. This is very common in JP Nagar.”
Officials at the DULT did not respond to any of the questions asked by The Observer.
The same is the case outside the Mantri Mall Metro station on Sampige Road. The footpath is at least half a kilometer long and riders sometimes use the footpath to evade traffic,.
Stalin James, a pedestrian, said: “It is illegal anywhere in the world. The basic definition of footpath is a path used by people on foot, and not two-wheelers. It is a pity that even educated people do not follow laws.”
A Swiggy delivery person who did not wish to be named said: “We have to deliver food on a deadline. So sometimes we overspeed and even ride on footpaths to reach faster. I know it is illegal, but nobody has caught me till now.”
The Bangalore Traffic Police had launched an application called Public Eye which allows citizens to report traffic violations. Every time a pedestrian sees someone violating a traffic rule, he/she can click and upload a picture on the application. The app was launched in September 2015. According to Google Play Store data, the app has a total of 1.26 lakh downloads and 25,000 active users.
According to the National Crime Records Bureau, out of the total pedestrian deaths in the country, 13 per cent were reported from Karnataka.
Data show the Bangalore Traffic Police collected Rs 126.3 crore in fines in the year 2021.
swarali.b@iijnm.org
