Pedestrians suffer due to encroachments by vendors

Vendors have become a pain in the neck. They occupy a entire stretch of the pedestrian path that it becomes extremely difficult for people to walk freely specifically the senior citizens and the school children.

Moreover, the problem is not limited to footpath encroachment alone, but the parking of two-wheelers and four-wheelers alongside roads in front of shops which further narrows the already congested roads.

To cite an example is the pedestrian path stretching from Palm Springs is being occupied by food vendors making it difficult for pedestrian movement.on the link road Malad (West). The encroachment has become a nightmare for pedestrians as footpaths, meant to provide a safe and convenient passage for them, have been overrun by food vendors.

The illegal encroachment are forcing pedestrians to take to the roads, risking their lives and slowing down traffic.

Over and above residents nearby are fed up with the situation and demand that the Municipal Corporation (MC) take action to free up the footpaths. A senior citizen has to say that pedestrians are treated like second-class citizens.

Footpaths are meant for walking, not for commercial use. It is time the authorities take action to reclaim these spaces. If the footpaths are cleared of encroachments, people would no longer have to walk on roads, and the city’s traffic congestion problem would be significantly alleviated.” The civic body officers must launch a drive to remove encroachments on the pedestrian path.

The civic body’s lack of interest in addressing this issue has only emboldened the vendors to continue using footpaths for their business.

As the city’s population continues to grow, the need for pedestrian-friendly infrastructure becomes increasingly urgent.
The residents state that instead of token drives, the MC needs to come up with an extensive plan to make footpaths free from encroachments and also check illegal parking of vehicles on roadsides.

News Edit KV Raman