08 July,2026 08:40 AM IST | Mumbai | Aishwarya Iyer
Dilapidated pavements in Manpada, Dombivli East. PICS/AISHWARYA IYER
Walking on busy roads and squeezing past hawkers, parked motorcycles, electricity poles, overflowing garbage bins, and broken paving blocks is a daily experience for pedestrians in Kalyan and Dombivli. A mid-day ground-reality check across Thane district's twin cities found that, despite repeated anti-encroachment drives and promises of making the area more pedestrian-friendly, walking safely remains a challenge in most busy stretches.
A pavement that vanishes into thin air in Kalyan West
In Dombivli East, commuters exiting the station barely have room to walk. Hawkers line both sides of the footpath, with makeshift stalls spilling onto the pedestrian space. In several stretches, commuters are forced to step onto the road, navigating moving rickshaws, buses, and two-wheelers during peak hours. While civic officials have carried out anti-encroachment drives in the area in recent months, residents say vendors often return within days.
Kolsewadi in Kalyan East, where footpaths are hijacked by local shops and used as parking spaces
On the approach roads leading to the station, pedestrians are forced to weave through illegally parked two-wheelers, street vendors and handcarts. In some locations, damaged paver blocks and open utility chambers make walking difficult, particularly for senior citizens and children. During rush hour, commuters often choose the carriageway over the footpath simply because it offers more uninterrupted space.
Phadke Road and parts of Manpada Road, which is about 4 km in length, in Dombivli, see shop displays extending onto the footpath, food stalls occupying large sections of the walkway, and temporary signboards leaving little room for pedestrians. Even where footpaths exist, utility poles, transformers and trees positioned in the middle of the walkway further reduce the usable width.
A crumbling and inaccessible footpath in Kalyan East
Several footpaths surveyed lacked ramps for wheelchair users, while tactile paving for the visually impaired was either absent or interrupted by obstructions. Uneven paver blocks, broken edges and sudden level differences increase the risk of trips and falls, especially during the monsoon when puddles conceal damaged surfaces.
Earlier this year, the Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation launched drives to remove illegal encroachments from footpaths and instructed officials to make major roads safer for pedestrians. Encroachments were cleared from several locations around railway stations and commercial areas, but residents allege enforcement remains inconsistent, with vendors and illegal parking gradually returning after the drives conclude.
As traffic volumes continue to rise across the twin cities, residents argue that improving pedestrian infrastructure should be treated as a safety priority rather than merely a beautification project. Until then, for thousands of commuters, the daily choice remains the same - navigate an obstructed footpath or take their chances on the road.
A daily commuter waiting outside Dombivli station
âEvery day we end up walking on the road because the footpath is occupied. It is especially difficult during peak hours when traffic is heavy'
An elderly male Kalyan resident
âUneven paver blocks make even a short walk risky. I'm always looking down to avoid falling instead of watching the traffic around me'
[popcorn number="4 km" desc="Approximate length of Manpada Road" class="Default"]
