Urban design interventions welcome, says BBMP chief engineer

Bengaluru: The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) welcomes suggestions and input from urban design consultants for design interventions and is taking measures to fix footpaths in the city, particularly to aid last-mile connectivity from bus and metro stations, said B S Prahlad, BBMP engineer-in-chief, on Saturday.

He made these remarks during a panel discussion on the second day of the 'Namma Raste' exhibition, which focused on designing safe streets and was organised by the BBMP in collaboration with WRI India and Bloomberg Philanthropies Initiative for Global Road Safety (BIGRS).

"We need to respect our roads the way we respect and take pride in our nation. Bengaluru shouldn't just be famous for its IT-BT sector, but also for our implementation of mobility plans to improve footpaths and make the city better," he said.

Prahlad also mentioned that the BBMP is prioritising the development of up to 2 km of footpaths on both sides of metro stations along Kanakapura Road.

He and other panellists emphasised the importance of designing people-centric streets, and accessible footpaths, and making civic agencies more user-friendly. They also stressed the need to evaluate the impact of planned interventions after implementation.

Ann Jacob, Chief Design Officer at DULT, highlighted the importance of collective public demand and collaboration with public leaders to execute the vision. Jaya Dhindaw from WRI India emphasised the need for a systems approach to address these issues, along with empowering ward committees at the grassroots level.

Srinivas Alavilli, the session's moderator, encouraged people to urge their representatives to implement "Minimum intervention, maximum impact" solutions, which can significantly improve the city. Some of these solutions include creating refuge islands, high-rise pedestrian crossings (HRPCs), and sidewalks with multi-utility zones.

"Even if all of us come together to demand these basic things from our local representatives which don't cost more than a few lakhs each, we can make our streets more pedestrian-friendly," he said.