We should be encouraging more walkers around the city, helping in reducing the small-vehicle traffic on the roads, thus reducing pollution. Walking should be encouraged as a mode of conveyance, especially for short distance. What is our government doing towards this? Are they providing the bare essential infrastructure towards this?

Footpath - The Oxford Dictionary explains the term as "path for pedestrians". The footpath is a necessary infrastructure component in a city, and forms a safe area for the pedestrians.

Most of the city has got zero footpath existing. For example on Brigade Road, there is a very narrow passage outside a few shoe shops, acting as a makeshift footpath. Is this kind of a footpath sufficient, at a location, where tens of thousands of people move daily? This is not just the situation here. Most of the roads are so narrow, that barely two vehicles can pass simultaneously. These roads do not even have a footpath, making things inconvenient for both the traffic and the pedestrians.

A few roads do have footpaths, but with a surface rougher and ridged than that of Mars. I pity the young ladies who parade there with their high heels, heavy purses moving towards their place of work and back. One feels like going ahead and holding these women to save them from falling or breaking their heels in the process. A friend was recently heard joking - "Do you know the reason for good tourism rate at Bangalore?" His answer - "People come here to have a feel of Mars - The roads and footpaths out here give them the experience."

We look at school children walking on these footpaths with their heavy donkey-loads on the back. One can be sure that these students would have mastered at least one skill by the time they finish their school. They would be practically qualified to become porters at bus stations and railway stations, especially looking at the current recession trends. The footpaths are not at all considered a safe place to walk, unless you watch every single step.

The pedestrians have abandoned the footpaths and started walking on the roads, causing trouble to the motorists in the process. The motorists are helpless and have to slow down looking at the pedestrians, the way they slow down at humps.

Can our Government and Corporation authorities wake up in this regard, and start working towards better pedestrian infrastructure? We know there is no road tax paid by pedestrians, but that is not an excuse towards the poor footpaths. Let them use a portion of the road tax paid by the motorists, to keep the roads free of pedestrians. Let us enable pedestrians walking on the footpaths rather.

Please send in your views at the Banging it Out Board on the Communiqué.