Bengaluru’s ORR has wide travel lanes, signal-free stretches, and flyovers and underpasses, which promote high vehicular speeds. Moreover, there are regions on the ORR without suitable pedestrian infrastructure, with people being forced to walk on the busy roads.
As per an analysis by WRI India in November 2021, 50% of all pedestrian deaths in Bengaluru happen on high-traffic density roads which move vehicles with minimum obstruction, such as the ORR. Further, a report released by the National Crime Records Bureau in November 2021 indicated that Bengaluru reported the second-highest pedestrian fatalities in the country, i.e., 163 deaths, in 2020; and 40% of all road traffic fatalities were on account of pedestrian deaths.
In fact, the National Crime Records Bureau report 2019, showed that there were around 691 overall deaths on the road (including motorists and pedestrians) due to over-speeding, which is a common phenomenon on the ORR, given the way it is designed to support the unobstructed vehicular movement. Imagine the risk already vulnerable populations face, such as people with disabilities and senior citizens.
ORR is a major link in Bengaluru’s road network and the most prominent office cluster with around 30% of IT revenues being contributed by the region. Built as a bypass road, today ORR crosses through urban areas which have residential complexes, educational institutions, and informal settlements, thus increasing the need for pedestrianization initiatives. The upcoming metro line, and the ORR’s redevelopment as a high-density corridor and associated real estate growth will only exacerbate the problem.
Bellandur in Mahadevapura, is an important transit point on the ORR, with residential complexes, educational institutes, hospitals, and corporate offices. Interestingly, the number of complaints regarding broken footpaths and demand for new footpaths were 32% more from outer zones such as Mahadevapura in comparison to inner wards. Most demands came from Bellandur!
One would assume this would have jolted the authorities to act! However, in January 2022, residents of Bellandur stated that despite repeated complaints, the BBMP had not attended to the demands for repairing the condition of pavements in the area. the BBMP urgently needs to institute more pedestrian-friendly infrastructure and speed management initiatives in Bellandur, which are in line with Bengaluru’s Active Mobility plans. This would also shake other wards to take similar actions.
Campaign demands
The following demands are being made to the authorities through the campaign:
- The timespan of red-light at the signals should be increased to at least 20 seconds
- High Raised Pedestrian Crossings should be set up
- Pedestrian islands at junctions should be built to provide safe spots while crossing
- Solar-powered street lights for safe access
- Provision of recycling waste bins to ensure there is no obstruction
- Regular monitoring and reporting of citizen grievances
Campaign plan
- org has started a petition to raise citizen awareness and gather support on the issue. We would be reaching out to BBMP with the signatures. Link to the campaign – https://act.jhatkaa.org/campaigns/make-outer-ring-road-pedestrian- friendly?utm_source=media&utm_medium=media&utm_campaign=press
- We would be running a social media campaign including explainer posts and videos, using the hashtag #PedestrianFriendlyORR
- On-ground engagements would be held to get citizen comments on the issue and also raise awareness
