Bengaluru’s footpaths: meant for pedestrians, but overtaken by vehicles, debris and encroachments
If Bengaluru’s roads belong to vehicles, its footpaths seem to belong to everyone except pedestrians. From dangling cables and piles of construction debris to discarded furniture, garbage and parked vehicles, footpaths provide space for almost everything except those who walk. As roads get choked, vehicles spill onto whatever remains of the pavements.
Walking even 100 metres without interruption is challenging in almost every area of Bengaluru. A common pattern emerges: a neatly laid footpath suddenly ends at an open trench dug for civic works. A few steps later, a heap of sand or broken paving blocks appears. Further ahead, a motorcycle parked across the pavement or a mound of garbage leaves pedestrians with little choice but to step onto the road.
Incidentally, Bengaluru topped the list of pedestrian deaths among India’s megacities in 2024, according to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB). However, the number of pedestrian deaths decreased from 292 in 2023 to 246 in 2024.
Chethana, a Class 12 student who travels by bus daily from Palace Guttahalli, says walking the last mile is hazardous. While walking towards Dollars Colony through Ashwath Nagar, she points to a stretch where the footpath gradually narrows before disappearing. Beyond that, ongoing construction had taken over almost the entire walkway.
What blocks footpaths varies by location. In some areas, overflowing garbage occupies the pavement; in others, tree branches or construction materials. In many residential neighbourhoods, homeowners have extended compound walls or installed outward-projecting gates and grills to accommodate parked cars.
There appears to be no standard design. On several roads, the footpath changes height every few metres, forcing pedestrians to climb down and back up repeatedly. On roads like Mysuru Road, Banasawadi, and Tumakuru Road, a footpath exists on one side but not the other.
The footpaths are particularly unforgiving for persons with disabilities or the elderly. Near Victoria Hospital, Ravi, a visually challenged man, chooses to walk in the middle of the road instead of using the pavement while heading to K.R. Market to catch a bus. “Many footpaths are too high, and each one is a different height. I am always worried I will fall climbing onto them. The footpath ends within a few metres. I have to climb down and deal with a different obstacle each time. It’s easier to stay on the road,” he said.
Residents say repeated civic work has worsened the situation. “After laying water pipelines or underground drainage, they leave heaps of mud and sand outside our homes and on the footpath. When it rains, everything turns slushy and the mud flows into our houses,” said Mahantesh from Balagere Cares, a citizens’ group representing residents of Varthur-Balagere area.
The Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA), through its ‘Safe Footpath’ campaign, aims to remove hurdles pedestrians face. However, there are allegations that while street vendors were removed from several locations, juice counters, ice cream kiosks, and paan stalls operated by restaurant chains that occupy large portions of footpaths remain untouched. In many places, two-wheelers and official vehicles belonging to agencies like BWSSB and police are parked on pavements without action.
It remains to be seen whether this ambitious drive will make Bengaluru a more walkable city or if pedestrians will continue to tackle obstacles as usual.
