Encroachment, lack of maintenance bedevil Kalyan-Dombivli’s footpaths

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 midday groundreality check across Thane districtrsquos twin cities found that despite repeated antiencroachment drives and promises of making the area more pedestrianfriendly walking safely remains a challenge in most busy stretchesDombivli railway stationA pavement that vanishes into thin air in Kalyan WestIn 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 twowheelers during peak hours While civic officials have carried out antiencroachment drives in the area in recent months residents say vendors often return within daysKalyan railway stationKolsewadi in Kalyan East where footpaths are hijacked by local shops and used as parking spacesOn the approach roads leading to the station pedestrians are forced to weave through illegally parked twowheelers 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 spaceCommercial stretchesPhadke 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 widthLack of accessibilityA crumbling and inaccessible footpath in Kalyan EastSeveral 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 surfacesCivic actionEarlier this year the KalyanDombivli 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 concludeCitizensrsquo pleaAs 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 mdash navigate an obstructed footpath or take their chances on the roadResident SpeakA daily commuter waiting outside Dombivli stationlsquoEvery day we end up walking on the road because the footpath is occupied It is especially difficult during peak hours when traffic is heavyrsquoAn elderly male Kalyan residentlsquoUneven paver blocks make even a short walk risky Irsquom always looking down to avoid falling instead of watching the traffic around mersquopopcorn number4 km descApproximate length of Manpada Road classDefault