Kolkata abandons 'painful' footbridges

KOLKATA: What is the function of foot overbridges? No. They're not for pedestrians, if we're talking about those in the city.
In Kolkata, the overbridges are nothing more than gigantic structures that form the skeleton of massive billboards of multinational companies. Unfortunately, neither the pedestrians nor the government has any qualms about it.The pedestrians are happy as long as they can cross the road dodging the traffic and the government is satisfied till they earn healthy revenue from the firms which display their advertisements on these overbridges.
What's more? The state government is finalizing the blueprint to construct nine more footbridges even as the existing ones remain grossly under-utilized. Though the facilities are proposed to be part-funded by billboard agencies against the right to display ads over a period of time, question still rises if the city at all needs more footbridges right now, specially when the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) is neck-deep in debt and there're more important projects at hand that need to be implemented immediately.
Of the 11 footbridges that are installed in the city and its periphery, a TOI survey has found only three or four to be in use. The rest lie deserted, with a couple even encroached by drug addicts. If anyone is benefiting, it is the billboard agencies that get to commercially exploit the huge structures by installing gigantic advertisement hoardings.
It is learnt that the civic body is in talks with the agencies to share the cost of building the footbridges. With member mayor-in-council (civil and engineering) Atin Ghosh pegging the cost of each footbridge at Rs 3-4 crore, the aggregate outgo will be Rs 27-36 crore. The cash-starved KMC will provide land while the private agency will set up the structure. The latter will then get a concession period to earn advertisement revenue with a nominal payment to the KMC.
"It is a win-win situation. The KMC will get to create facilities for pedestrians at virtually no cost while the companies will earn from the hoardings," a civic official explained. But what about the maintenance cost? TOI could not find a suitable answer.
In the survey, TOI found that only five overbridges - the ones in Ultadanga, Golaghata, Lake Town, Gariahat and Dhakuria - were used by pedestrians. Even at these places, more pedestrians cross the street by jumping over the dividers. The one at Lake Town is by far the most popular. The ones at Rajabazar and Beliaghata CIT Road are not used at all. The rest are used by few.
At Rajabazar, the KMC is planning to install another footbridge even as the original one has turned into a drug den. The footbridge on CIT Road near Ultadanga has been in such disuse that it has been declared condemned.
"Footbridge is a sheer wastage of tax-payers' money. Primarily, the design problem makes them pedestrian-unfriendly. Climbing 17 ft is a huge deterrent. One can cross the road at the surface level in one-fourth time and by spending a hundredth of energy. For children, elderly, disabled and pregnant, footbridge is virtually useless," said a transportation engineer.
Though escalator is installed at the footbridge in Gariahat and elevator at the one at Park Circus bridge no.4, they have failed to encourage pedestrians. "It is very arduous to stand in queue to take the elevator. Time is money," said Gaurav Sinha, a banker who was caught crossing the road below the elevator-fitted footbridge. There are also times when escalators and elevators remain switched off.
Subways or pedestrian underpasses are no better. None of them other than the ones at Howrah and Sealdah station are in use. The ordeal of descending about 20-30 ft and climbing again is a "pain" few were willing to suffer. Moreover, many do not feel safe in underpasses that turn dingy and shabby in no time. Plus, poor lighting makes them unsafe for children and women in particular.
So where does the solution lie? "The solution lies somewhere between the middle of footbridges and underpasses. It is the construction of the underpass midway below the street level so that pedestrians need to descend only 4 feet instead of the usual 10 ft or more. Needless to say, an elevation of the road would also be necessary, stretching over a length of a mere 55 ft, or about 17 m for a gradient of about 10 degrees. This rise in street level will also ensure that pedestrians do not cut across the street over this stretch and will have no option but to use the subway. Sidewalks will need to be maintained at grades, throughout and preferably barricaded for safety of all. If designs that do not require pedestrians to physically stress themselves are adopted, such underpasses will be of great use," said Geetam Tiwari, a leading expert on transportation engineering from IIT, Delhi.