Chennai
Outside Adyar depot, it is a common sight to see large groups of people walking on the road, especially families – enroute to their destinations. The sidewalk is blocked, firstly, by a garbage bin, surrounded by a swarm of flies, and secondly, by a line of bikes parked on a large portion of the pavement.
Flanking the depot on the left side, the sidewalk turns into a parking space, jostling with street vendors.
Between the depot and the Adyar Telephone Exchange bus stop, there are lines of eateries – many of which have appropriated the pavement space. An apparel outlet has added an extra step on the pavement space.
The entire stretch of the pavement is pockmarked by electricity cables jutting out at random locations or the height of the stormwater drain manhole unbelievably raised. In fact, on small portions of the LB Road, the pavements are relatively better but when the bikes parked on the road or overhead exposed wires block the pavement access, people prefer to walk uninterrupted on the carriageway.
The pavement outside a high-end retail chain turns into a vegetable market, with vendors selling pumpkins and other fresh produce. After this point, the pavement narrows down considerably, with space just for one person. this space too, in parts, is taken over by stores to showcase their groceries or for an electrical shop to store reams of wires. Near the flyover, the pavements are heavily encroached. Just where the flyover starts, most of the retail outlets have built their entrances right on the pavement space, forcing pedestrians to walk on the narrow carriageway.
“I find it tough to walk on this road, especially during peak hours because there is hardly any pavement space to safely reach our destination,” said Malathi R, a homemaker. On the other side of the LB Road, standees advertising products of the nearby shop force the pedestrian to get off it. At many parts of the road, the surface of the pavement is uneven, making it difficult for people to walk.
Along both sides of LB Road, the pavements have been used for haphazardly parking cars, bikes and even a small van. Political parties trying to gain mileage by setting up water dispensing stalls mean that a large part of the sidewalk is obstructed.
Opposite Adyar depot, a dispenser had a large thatched structure with two pots of water, leaving the users amused at the futility of such efforts while forcing people to walk on the vehicle-dotted carriageway instead of the spaces designed for their use.
—If you have been robbed of your pavement, write to us. Send us a note and a picture, and we will carry it in this column. Email us at citizen.dtnext@dt.co.in
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