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The Hebbal Railway station is an unofficial suburban rail for hundreds of IT professionals travelling to Electronic City. The station is also used by flower and vegetable vendorsfrom places like Salem and Hosur. The station may not have too many trains passing through, however, the four trains that stop here see hundreds of people embarking at the station. Yet, the station is in a pathetic condition.

It lacks basic amenities such as drinking water, toilets, foot overbridge and most importantly, the connectivity. Pedestrians have to walk along the track from below the Hebbal fly-over to the railway station. The route for the pedestrians reek of urine and garbage which makes it tough for them to approach the station.

“Approach to the station for people who come in from the city is the most difficult part. We face a hard time reaching the station from the main road, as it doesn’t have a proper walk lane. Nor is there a parking area for two-wheelers near the station,” said D Govindarajan, a frequent user of the trains from Hebbal.

The station also lacks an overbridge, posing serious risk to the commuters, considering that express trains that do not stop at the station, pass through at high speeds.

“It is tough for us to get to the platform on the other side of the tracks to catch a train, as there is no walk overbridge. We put our life on the line in crossing over to the other platform,” said Shridar, a passenger.

The platforms are too low, making climbing onto the trains a problem for passengers, especially the elderly, women and children and for passengers with a lot of luggage. The short length of the platform is an additional challenge to the travellers, as the trains often extend much beyond the platform.

http://www.dnaindia.com/bangalore/report_hebbal-railway-station-is-a-challenge-to-travellers_1787883

Who is to take responsibility for this mess : Mayor of Bangalore, Bangalore North MP, Hebbal MLA, Corporator, SWR Bangalore, NHAI & BDA.

This  requirement may not cost more then 2 Crore,  but these above people may spend crores of money for meetings and blaming each others.

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The study shows at least one pedestrian dies daily on an average in Bangalore.

Over 60 per cent of the roads in the city don’t have footpaths while the remaining 40 have footpaths that are either encroached upon or have a width less than 1.5 metres.

This emerged from a recent study on conditions of footpaths in Bangalore carried out by a Traffic Advisory Committee under M.N. Sreehari, Advisor to Government on Traffic, Transportation and Infrastructure.

“This is not only a blatant violation of the Indian Road Congress (IRC) rules, but also a serious threat to the safety and security of pedestrians,” Mr. Sreehari told The Hindu.

The 300-page study, which has been submitted to the State government, shows that at least one pedestrian is killed every day on an average in Bangalore while many others are injured while either crossing the roads or even walking on footpaths.

“We have brought it to the notice of the government and discussed it in the meetings with the BBMP officials, but no action has been taken,” he said, and accused the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike of doing nothing unless someone files a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking judicial intervention.

http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/bangalore/60-pc-of-roads-do-not-have-footpaths-study/article4498015.ece

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With most pedestrian underpasses/ subways in a deplorable condition, people would rather risk crossing the road itself. A team from The Hindu, which did a recce, found that most skywalks remain grossly under-utilised for a variety of reasons, including the toll it takes on the breath and knees. Not surprisingly, the only skywalk with a lift, on K.G. Road, is popular. Moreover, this facility is monitored by six closed circuit television cameras.

HAL Airport Road

This road witnesses heavy traffic. Though there is a divider, duck through the broken railings and dart across the road, even though there is a skywalk just after Leela Palace. The Hindu spotted a man on crutches crossing the road thus. “The skywalk may be useful, but the stairs are too narrow and high for me. Their breadth could have been also increased,” said Neelakantesh M., who broke his leg in a road accident. But residents of surrounding areas welcome the skywalk.

High Grounds

The skywalk with 55 steps at High Grounds, opposite the Sophia High School, is mostly used by the school students. Ram Singh, a security guard, said it is well lit till 11 p.m. and that police personnel conduct checks regularly.

Children may find the skywalk a piece of cake but not older people, who have to huff and puff while climbing it.

Seshadri Road

Little wonder that his poorly maintained skywalk is largely ignored by pedestrians. College students prefer to cross the road, risking life and limb. L. Mariyappa, a security guard at the V.H.D. Central Institute of Home Sciences, said that anti-social elements gather at the skywalk at night

http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/bangalore/many-find-it-strenuous-to-climb-skywalks/article4498010.ece

good work done by Hindu by bringing ground reality.

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Pedestrian-controlled traffic signals or pelican crossings are a common installation at street crossings in many countries. The signal, which allows pedestrians to cross a road, requires people to press a button and wait for a few minutes for the light to turn red and stop oncoming traffic.

Encouraged by the success of this novel idea in the rest of the world, the Bangalore police installed 52 pelican crossings across the city in 2005. The system seemed to sit well with Bangalore’s image as a ‘global village’. The public also received it with a lot of enthusiasm; one remembers little groups of curious people lining up to test the system.

http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/bangalore/are-pelican-crossings-strictly-for-the-birds/article4498006.ece?ref=sliderNews

Infront of Eastem Mall near Hebbal, I find that  all Vechiles stop till the pedestrians cross.  I don't how many junction in Bangalore have this respect for Pedestrian.  Even at pelican crossing at Palace Gutthalli near the ITC Windsor Hotel  where every motorist respects pedestrians.

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would it work if the authorities are met first to enquire about their plans of handling pedestrians, if any that is..and then approach bodies like DULT if they can do anything and then if nothing works we can get to signing a petition..

Pictures and realistic number of pedestrians crossing at the peak hours etc could be used as data to support the petetion I suppose..

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