CHENNAI: In north Chennai neighbourhoods, including Perambur and Vyasarpadi, where bollards are newly installed, pedestrians continue to struggle for space as vehicles occupy footpaths.

On Kumarasamy Street, cars are regularly parked on the pavement, disrupting the walking space and pushing people onto the road. A similar situation persists on Perambur High Road, where sections of the footpath remain obstructed and uneven despite the presence of bollards.

"There was never a walkable footpath in the Perambur High Road. On one side, cars continue to be parked like this while on the other parts remain broken and awaiting renovation. The busy commuting stretch is never for pedestrians," lamented Suganya, a Perambur resident who uses the road to reach the railway station daily.

Civic activist Raghukumar Choodamani said the core purpose of footpaths is being defeated. "Footpaths are meant only for pedestrians. But what we see today is public walking space turning into a parking space."

He added that the installation of bollards has not changed the ground situation in many streets. "If vehicles are still able to enter and park on the footpath, bollards alone will not solve the problem."

On AA Road, Vyasarpadi, vehicles continue to mount the pavement outside commercial stretches, while on Dr Ambedkar College Road in Jamalia Nagar, broken and removed pavement blocks have left the walkway difficult to use. Residents say these are not isolated spots but part of a wider, everyday problem of not having an accessible walking space across the locality.