Shoppers in favour of walkers’ zone

Shoppers in favour of walkers’ zone
Deccan Herald

Come weekend, and Brigade Road turns into a chaotic mess - pedestrians struggle to find walking space on narrow pavements, traffic piles up making vehicles crawl, road users hunt for parking space amidst blaring horns, and shoppers find shopping anything but a pleasurable experience.

The Traffic Police, in a bid to control vehicle congestion, has now proposed to turn the stretch into a ‘walker’s zone’ in the evening hours on Saturdays and Sundays.

Making sense

But the proposal has made shop-owners frown, as they would rather keep jaywalkers out of the road. Also, the Brigade Shops and Establishments Association has invested Rs 40 lakh in automated parking meters.

However, for several shoppers on Brigade Road, the proposal seems to make sense.

“It is very difficult to walk on the pavements, especially on a weekend. People pull and push, some even act smart, so we are forced to focus on finding our way rather than look around or shop,” says Ajita, a student.

Civil engineer Varun also finds Brigade Road ‘stuffy’.

“There is no sense of personal space. I groan each time I have to come here because it is so crowded,” laments the civil engineer.

European model

Another student, Gaurav Kapoor, offers the European model as an example. “In Europe, shopping plazas are made into walking zones because it brings in a sense of order and attracts shoppers,” he says.

Dr Madhu has a private vehicle, but he would still prefer to walk.

“The movement of vehicles is so slow on Sunday evenings on this stretch that I prefer to take a detour,” he explains.

Agrees Rajashekar, an employee of HAL, who says that despite having a car, he finds it troublesome to park or move on Brigade Road.

“I think it is a good idea to ban vehicles for a few hours on weekends,” he says.

K N Rao, who is in the defence services, points out that despite automated parking meters, there is not sufficient parking space available during peak hours.

“It should be made a walkway, but an arrangement for parking should be made near the entry and exit points,” he says.

Incidentally, the parking complex at Garuda Mall is less than half a kilometre from Brigade Road.

But it remains unutilised, with shoppers at Garuda mall using it more than anyone else.

Let things be

However, businessman Kiran would rather have things as they are.

“The road is crowded, but banning vehicles is not a solution. At least I am assured of parking space when I come to shop here. Also, this road serves as a short-cut to reach areas like Hosur Road, Richmond Road and Jayanagar. Thanks to the one-ways around these business districts, I will have to travel another two-three km to reach the other section of Brigade Road from MG Road if this stretch is made a walkway,” explains Kiran.