One Wall Down

One Wall Down

Originally uploaded by Chennai City Connect

The wall blocking the footpath near the petrol bunk is down. Was surprised to see it being pulled down, wires/pipes underneath being removed.

I was in line (long) waiting for precious diesel. By the way, Long Live Central Planning! Viva artificial shortages!

I saw a guy (one removing the pipes and wires) explaining to a passerby “the footpath is going from there to there, along this path”. (He was motioning this with his hands. I assume that’s what he was saying. And not, “the people who did this, I will drag their bodies from there to there, through my ex-wall”.)

Picture on the right. Due to my amazing camera work, you can’t see the guy, next to the bike repair guy, who is pulling the wires out. The big man in blue stripes came in between.

One problem though. The “free air” equipment is gone. It used to be on this side of the wall. I have nostalgic memories (redundant?) of waiting in my car while the air guy fills my tires. “34 in the front, 30 in the back”. While waiting for my credit card reciept. Anxiously waiting to hand over Rs 4 coins (sometimes Rs 5) to the “free air” guy when he is done with my front tire on the right. Notice that he finishes that tire last so he can make an extra buck. You also want to show your generous nature to the poor dude so you keep the booty ready. So much in life is pre-planned and we don’t even realise it. Tango at the bunk.

Will those good old days come back? Is this the beginning of the revenge of the Goddess of Wall Things ?

Sign boards (police ones) are gone. BSNL box gone near Shastri Nagar junction. Unfortunately now there is a hole instead. I saw a scooter guy stuck in that hole.

Scooter guy: 1
BSNL: 0

Good to see Corp responding so quickly.
One wall down. Many more barriers to go.

Footpath in the media

Now that we are having a Footpath Bachao Andolan in Chennai, with more and more individuals and groups trying to address this issue, let me add to the mix. Some write ups and media coverage and shameless self promotion by moi. Well anything to be able to walk endlessly and aimlessly, without getting run over or falling into a ditch, in my city.

Corp to accept complaints on footpath woes in The Times of India

300 Kilometers of sidewalk in Chennai Today

Pedestrian-friendly road model taking shape in The Hindu

Lattice Bridge Road in a blog by the same name

Cool Shastri Nagar Junction

Shastri Nagar Junction Reco Full Diagram

Originally uploaded by Chennai City Connect

The diagram on the right is part of the presentation we did for the Commissioner of Chennai Corporation and his team of engineers and officials. Click to enlarge and see other diagrams on our flickr site.

This is our version of what Shastri Nagar Junction in Adyar can look like if redesigned with care. The Commissioner and team were very engaging and encouraging.

For rest of the stretch, from this junction to MG Road Junction, we have detailed notes and suggestions on CAD survey. If interested contact us.

Our team: Dr Murthy Bondada (Fullbright scholar at IITM), Mrs Kavitha Selvaraj (CRN Associates), Ms Sangeeta and Ms Swetha (Architects and ex-Anna Univ grads) and City Connect staff.

We surveyed, photographed, took detailed notes and so on and converted it into nice Powerpoint presentations.

We used some simple principles:

• Try your best to find space for pedestrians, hawkers and others. Come up with a compromise/consensus solution. It does not have to be either/or.
• A footpath can have pedestrians and hawkers, side by side, OR pedestrians and bus stand. Not all three in one place since pedestrians always loose, they get pushed onto the road.
• Give islands to people to wait while waiting to cross the road. (We have proposed an island under the tree you see on the left at the junction.
• The footpath can wind around trees, behind bus stops, etc. It does not have to be a straight line. As far as it is walkable, sloped appropriately for entry and exit, etc.

We also have a set of international standards and do it yourself kit. The idea is that any citizen group should be able to redesign their neighbourhood footpath and related pedestrian facilities using paper, pencil and measuring take.

Our conclusion, at least as far as this stretch is concerned: There is enough space in about 80% or 90% of the stretch to accommodate pedestrians and hawkers. In fact, someone can even build proper structures for hawkers and give enough space for pedestrians to walk and shop.

My hypothesis waiting to be proven:

Hawkers occupy places that are not in use. That is, they don’t sit where people can or are walking. So you don’t clear “encroachment” to make the footpath walkable. You make the footpath walkable to clear the encroachment automatically or prevent it from happening in the first place.

Poetically put, footpath is like the river, pedestrian like a water, hawker like sand. If you place a stone in the river, you obstruct the flow of water, change its dynamics and hence sand accumulates behind the stone.

Similarly, if you make the footpath unwalkable, usually it is build unwalkable from the start by building it a foot high with no sloping at entry and exit, you signal that the space is ready for occupation and “encroachment”. In fact, the encroachers are doing us a favour by utilising precious land in the most efficient manner possible. It would be foolish and wasteful to expect them to leave it unused.

The Corporation is in the process of implementing these suggestions.