Work is going on full steam to widen Vinaya Marga in Siddharthanagar. It is is the second time in the last few years tha the road has been widened. After the present widening, the footpath will be reduced to almost nothing.
Mindless widening of roads to ease vehicle congestion is counterproductive. It will reduce footpaths and hence force people to walk on streets. Pedestrians and automobiles competing for the same road space would worsen traffic congestion and defeat the very purpose of widening roads. This has already happened in places where roads have been widened at the expense of footpaths, such as Temple Road in V.V. Puram and Sayyaji Rao Road in Bamboo Bazaar. It is sad that MCC has not learnt from those experiences.
On Temple Road in V.V. Mohalla, the widened portion of the road is completely taken up by parked vehicles. Since there is no walkable footpath, pedestrians have to now walk between parked vehicles and moving traffic. Since traffic is moving quite fast, the smallest mistake by either the moving traffic or pedestrians can lead to a major accident. Besides, pedestrians are also facing danger from parked vehicles moving in reverse. This is especially dangerous for the aged and the children.
"Solutions" are being provided without any forethought for the civic problems that afflict our city. As a result, in many cases, the solution is worse than the problem.
Syed Tanveeruddin, member, Mysore Grahakara Parishat