Five years after a massive public uproar forced its withdrawal, the ‘integrated skywalk’ project right outside the iconic Cubbon Park in Bengaluru is back in a new avatar. The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) now has a new design, approved and ready to go. When it was proposed in January 2018, the enormous structure had come under intense criticism for multiple reasons: visual pollution of the green aesthetics around Cubbon Park; obliteration of a direct view of the famed Mahatma Gandhi statue at the circle; and a complete lack of project transparency. The proposal also sparked widespread anger, with many seeing it as another proof of the government’s mobility policies that were skewed in favour of motorists and not pedestrians.
But skywalks across the city have earned notoriety for another reason: they aid only advertisers and the intended beneficiaries while pedestrians rarely use them. Besides, mobility analysts and seasoned civic activists have been questioning the need for skywalks at signalised junctions, where pedestrians can simply walk across the road.
The new design, approved by the BBMP on May 25, 2023, integrates two skywalks. One across Queen’s Road linking Cubbon Park corner to the KSCA Stadium gate and the other across MG Road connecting the area right outside MG Park with the Bible Society compound. The landing of the second skywalk leads to Lavelle Road.
The structure also incorporates four lift towers at the skywalk ends, three of them cylindrical. Two of these towers, to be built on either side of the Gandhi Park entrance, will have spiral staircases around them leading to the walkways. Above the covered walkways, the design integrates wide billboards prominently displayed across the entire width of Queen’s Road and MG Road.
Architects too question the need for a skywalk at a signalised junction. “A skywalk should be built in the middle of a street not at a junction, because traffic will stop there. It is not being built as a pedestrian amenity. It is built for advertisers. In some cases, like on high volume ring roads, they can help reduce pedestrian sequence. But in the inner city roads, they are not required at all,” notes architect Naresh Narasimhan.
The message is clear: the integrated skywalk will not serve its purpose. Skywalks across the city, located very close to signalised junctions, are rarely used by pedestrians, who prefer to walk across. The availability of lifts has not boosted use due to maintenance issues.
A mobility expert notes that the public, particularly senior citizens and persons with disabilities, find it challenging to take the skywalk and instead opt to walk across at relatively low-traffic junctions. The Gandhi Circle outside Cubbon Park, he points out, clearly falls into the low-volume category.
Traffic from four roads converge at Gandhi Circle. But beyond peak hours, the volume of traffic from MG Road, Kasturba Road, Queen’s Road, and Lavelle Road has not exceeded manageable limits, say traffic experts. As one of them put it, “It is a big and irregular junction. If there is a well-planned signalling sequence, people can easily cross the road.”
Ever since billboards were banned in the city through a court order, advertisers have used skywalks as a proxy to display ads. Experts now suggest that a public interest litigation (PIL) should be filed to expand the scope of the ban order to include billboards on anything. Sponsorship advertisements, they say, should be limited to a plaque not exceeding 2ft x 3ft in size.
Artist’s impression of the integrated skywalk that was to come up at the Mahatma Gandhi Circle, opposite Cubbon Park main entrance in 2018. It was shelved after widespread public protests.
Outdoor advertising firm Prakash Arts Private Limited had petitioned the High Court and obtained an order in September 2022 directing the BBMP to permit it to complete the integrated skywalk project. The firm had first won a bid to design, build, finance, operate, and transfer (DBFOT) an integrated skywalk near Anil Kumble Circle in 2014, linking LIC and Bible Society of India. Thereafter, Prakash Arts was required to change the skywalk’s location from Cubbon Park corner to KSCA Stadium gate on Queen’s Road and from Gandhi Park to Bible Society compound on MG Road.
The firm had claimed in its petition that it was issued the work order to construct the skywalk but that the BBMP unilaterally cancelled the agreement. The firm said it was ready to modify the alignment of the skywalk if the BBMP felt it would block the view of the Gandhi statue.
The Palike had submitted to the court that while the foundation work for the project was on, citizens, organisations, and political parties protested that the skywalk would indeed block the view of the iconic statue. The agreement and work order were cancelled to avoid a law and order situation, the BBMP’s counsel had said.
When work on the earlier integrated skywalk project was launched in 2018, enquiries had revealed that a mandatory No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the traffic police was not obtained. This was confirmed by the then Additional Commissioner of Police, Traffic. Permission from the traffic police is necessary to track the pressure points in terms of pedestrian movement. Tenders should be called only after obtaining the NOC.
Seasoned environment activist Dattatreya Devare, however, says that the Palike should instead pay the liability/compensation under the contract agreement and close the case. “Spending more taxpayer money for an unwanted, ugly-looking structure, which nobody will use, is not the way,” he contends. Besides, he says, the pedestrian movement at the spot does not justify the need for a skywalk.
Having tracked mobility patterns and sustainability of projects for years, Dattatreya notes that foot over bridges – even those fitted with lifts – are rarely used by people.
An independent journalist based in Bengaluru, Rasheed Kappan has nearly three decades of experience covering issues related to urban mobility, sustainability, environment. A graphic cartoonist, podcaster, video editor, and art curator, he is the founder of Kappansky and explores the linkages of art, media, and innovation through multiple creative platforms.