'Don't dare to walk here'

'Don't dare to walk here'

Indiranagar residents fear walking around in the area; they even forego exercise, finds Vaishalli Chandra

Vaishalli Chandra

Pedestrians of Indiranagar are up to their necks in traffic woes. They apathy of motorists and drivers who zip past them at all hours and indifference of officials who are not offering solutions have only made matters worse for them in the recent months.
Homemaker, Mrinal Duggal, a resident of Indiranagar says that the list of complaints is long. "Elderly people and pregnant women cannot walk on these roads. It is tiring to even walk short distances," she says. Jitendra Premdoss, a resident of double road that touches Old Madras road says, "There is absolutely no order on our roads. Vehicles are parked in residential areas leaving us little space for walking. It is extremely inconvenient." Therefore, Premdoss stays away from the roads as much as possible. "We use the nearby park for walks. We don't want to risk our lives on these roads, not even in the mornings," he says. The peace of the place is gone, complains this old-timer. "It was once a quiet area. But now, cabs move around even in the middle of the night," he says.
Nitin Duggal, a software engineer, says that the heavy traffic on 100 feet is because "CMH road is a complete disaster. The metro work in progress there forces people to use 100-feet road." Residents are upset that officials haven't provided any alternative roads since metro work began.
"My son used to go jogging, but he stopped citing inconvenience," says Sangeeta Rajankar, an artist who lives in Indiranagar. "He would come back from his jog within 10 minutes of leaving home and would complain about the 6 am-rush," she says. "Also, the traffic signals not functioning in the early hours of the day leads to more confusion. Even if they do function, motorists usually ignore them," she says.
Parents living in the area are aware of the risks their children face on the roads. Sangeeta says her 14-year-old son is always accompanied by a parent when he steps out early in the morning. Mrinal says, "I've a young baby and if we have to go out to make purchases I will have to take him in the stroller. But then, there is hardly any space on the footpath for feet, let alone for a baby stroller."