mid-day campaign: How pedestrians can reclaim their footpaths in Mumbai

Footpath with no encroachments on the Matunga-Mahim stretch

With the majority of the footpaths in the city being used illegally for parking vehicles, as shown by mid-day's two-week series, we managed to find two areas that have kept the law-breakers off the pedestrian space - one at Bellasis Road in Mumbai Central and the other on the Mahim-Matunga stretch.

After numerous examples of footpaths outside prominent places turning into parking spots, we end our series on a hopeful note - presenting two fine examples of ideal pavements, which are built in such a way that there is no scope (rather, space) for two-wheelers to even get on them.

Bellasis Road, Mumbai Central
Recently, the Brihamumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) with the help of an NGO expert group, World Resources Institute (WRI), finalised Bellasis Road to have it developed as a 'model road'. The civic body is spending about Rs 30 crore on this project, which includes a sizeable footpath along this stretch.

WRI, after conducting a study of several city roads, suggested some measures for creating ideal footpaths. It was proposed by senior corporator and Samajwadi Party group leader in the BMC Rais Shaikh.

The recommendations also mention cat eyes at pedestrian crossings, and specific distance between two cat eyes. "The design will help the handicapped and senior citizens to cross the road with ease, as there will be speed breakers ahead of every pedestrian crossing," a senior official said. WRI's report recommends that a footpath be 150-mm high and 3.5 metres wide, at least two metres be kept for pedestrians, and parking on footpaths be strictly restricted.

Speaking to mid-day, manager of integrated transport WRI, Dhawal Ashar, said, "The definition of an ideal footpath is it should be walkable for citizens. A footpath 1.6 metres in length can be considered good for pedestrian movement. We have selected a few city roads and observed citizen patterns on use of footpaths. Whenever there is any obstruction [on a pavement], people tend to get off and walk on the road. This then affects vehicular flow. "It is vital that the planning consider pedestrians' requirements and only then be taken forward."

The best part about the project is that it will be worked on as a whole, which is a first. Earlier, contracts for different items, right from signboards and pedestrian crossings to paver blocks and street furniture, were awarded to different companies. In the case of Bellasis Road, everything will be handled by one firm.

Matunga-Mahim stretch
mid-day found the other ideal footpath in the Matunga-Mahim stretch - a stretch between Mogul Lane in Mahim and Ruparel College in Matunga. In 2013, the BMC began installing bollards on footpaths to prevent two-wheelers from parking on them, but the installation, which was overseen by local corporators, was improper - the space kept between two bollards wasn't narrow enough to stop bikers from encroaching on the space. BMC had promised to undertake grade separation (ensuring pavements are built higher than roads), but its implementation went haywire.

This is what makes the Matunga-Mahim footpath an ideal one, as the space between two bollards is too narrow for any vehicle to enter through. Local residents mid-day spoke to said they had monitored the work along with local civic leaders. "This ensured the bollards were put up in the right place," a senior citizen said.

Also Read: mid-day campaign: Footpaths openly enroached on in Thane and Navi Mumbai even outside police station

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