Whitetopped JC Road still choked by bikes on footpaths, encroachments

Bengaluru: Even as white-topping work progresses on JC Road, one of Bengaluru's busiest commercial corridors, pedestrians say little has changed on the ground, with footpaths continuing to be occupied by parked bikes, ramps and shop extensions.The white-topping project is being carried out from Minerva Circle to Town Hall over a stretch of about 1.5 km. It has a 15-metre-wide carriageway and 2.5-metre footpaths on both sides, yet the encroachment persists."Nothing has changed on JC Road except the road surface. The chaos continues," said CN Kumar of Firstblock Organisation of Residents for Clean Environment (FORCE) RWA.According to Rajagopalan, convener of the Bengaluru Mobility Federation, the stretch between Minerva Circle and Town Hall continues to suffer from multiple encroachments. "Footpaths are occupied by parked 2-wheelers, car accessory displays and agricultural product vendors. Many shops created makeshift concrete ramps on the footpath to move goods, which completely blocks pedestrian movement," he said.He added that the absence of protective grills allows shops to carry out loading and unloading directly on the footpath. "Installing stainless steel grills like those on Brigade Road and more bollards can help protect pedestrian space. But enforcement is equally important," Rajagopalan told TOI.Urban strategist Vinod Jacob also stressed the need to prioritise pedestrian movement along the busy corridor."Parking on footpaths must be strictly banned on this one-way road to protect pedestrians' right of way. Paid parking for 4-wheelers can be designated on 1 side and 2-wheelers on the other, while directing vehicles to the nearby multi-level parking complex. Obstructing footpaths is unacceptable — safe walkability must be prioritised," he said.Shopkeepers, however, say the lack of organised parking on the busy commercial street is forcing customers to use the footpaths."There is no proper parking space on JC Road. If vehicles park on the side of the road, traffic will completely choke. Many customers park their bikes on the footpath for a few minutes to buy accessories and leave," said Ismail Khan, a car accessories shop manager who runs a car accessories store on the road.Seconding him, Manohar Patel, who runs another automobile store, said, "The GBA creates so many multilevel car parks (MLCP) across the city, but what about the city centre, where there is so much trade and business happening?"While senior GBA officials from BCCC said, "We shall look into the issue seriously and try to find a solution at the earliest. However, we are penalising the unauthorised footpath encroachers."