bangalore skywalks

Last month, in December 2021, a new skywalk came up on Outer Ring Road, near New Horizon College, Kadubeesanahalli, built by Embassy Tech Park. Coming as it did, after a long period of no new skywalks being opened, it threw the spotlight on the importance of skywalks. In the recent past, BBMP has built a number of skywalks across the city under the PPP (Public-Private Partnership) model, which affected the final decisions on their locations and designs. However the overhead pedestrian crossings on Outer Ring Road have become a reality, largely due to citizen activism.  The Sanjay Giri skywalk, between Akme…

In 2012, Bengaluru got its first skywalk with elevators on KG Road. Today, the city has 21 skywalks equipped with lifts on both sides, and CCTV cameras. Another 15 of these will be set up by the end of this year. This would take the total number of skywalks with lifts in Bengaluru to 36. The lifts are helpful especially for the elderly and others who have difficulty climbing stairs. Septuagenarian Madhukar Swamy, a retired government servant, says he uses lifts in the skywalk near BBMP head office almost every day. "Sometimes, if I feel well, I take the stairs…

Two weeks after Sanjay Giri (19) died trying to cross Bellandur-ORR opposite Akme Harmony Apartments, and one week after the citizens around Bellandur’s mass protest, it seems like a ‘Sanjay Skywalk’, as residents are calling the proposed footbridge, will see the light of day. P C Mohan, Member of Parliament for Bangalore Central, called for a meeting on Saturday for a spot survey by Bengaluru Metro Rail Corporation Ltd to give the green signal for a speedy skywalk construction, heeding to a demand by the residents. At the meeting all the stakeholders in the proposed skywalk were in attendance, including…

A wrecked footpath with cables, garbage, posters. Pic: Nadia Asif If you are a pedestrian you would know that crossing Bengaluru’s busy, lawless roads is nothing less than a life-threatening ordeal. For motorists, pedestrians are obstacles and for the traffic police, pedestrians are insignificant road users who somehow find their way in the mayhem of vehicles coming in from all directions without any order. In a survey conducted by Walkability Asia in seven Indian cities, Bengaluru scored the lowest in walkability. It is common to see bikes using the pavements to ride past static traffic, or autos cutting corners inches…

When an overhead walkway built by Ecospace was recently opened to public, residents of Outer Ring Road greeted it with joy. It made crossing the ORR so much safer and seemed to reduce congestion caused by vehicles slowing to let jaywalkers cross. Though India had a strong tradition of pedestrian-centric cities, it is deplorable that post-1970, cities in India have rarely been designed for pedestrians. Reviewing the list of ten most accident-prone areas in Bangalore, Citizen Matters found that the predominant factor for accidents was pedestrians crossing the road in the midst of high speed traffic. With the absence of…

The place in front of K C General Hospital where a sky walk is proposed to come up. Pic: Taken from E-Proc website Walking on some of the Bengaluru’s roads will be easier henceforth. Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has opened up tenders for 54 skywalks across the city. These are either important junctions where multiple roads meet, or mid-blocks with prominent properties on either sides requiring pedestrians to cross the road regularly. While compiling the list of ten most accident-prone areas in Bangalore, Citizen Matters learnt from traffic police that the most predominant factor causing accidents is the pedestrians…