A Conjoint Analysis of the Design Irregularities and Public Realms of a National Highway in Bangalore.

Abstract

A 40m stretch along National Highway (NH4) is considered, which is located on either side of an unmanned exit from Yeswanthpur Railway station. This stretch of pedestrian walkway was extremely congested, with an average pedestrian count of about 4000/hour. This also led to pedestrian spillover and jaywalkers on the main carriageway. The absence of guardrails and the encroachment of footpath by street-hawkers aggravated the problem. Hence, the disruption of smooth pedestrian movement raises the accident rate and causes traffic delays. The width of the existing footpath is only 1.2m, while the ideal width should have been atleast 4m, as per standards. A high blank wall, demarcating the station and footpath, aggravated the persisting problem, by cutting the possible visual connection between them. This stimulated the abuse of the walkway by pedestrians. The dilapidated walkway and the unaltered footpath width continue to be a distress, with the level of service being ‘F’. The remedial measures must incorporate proper design of walkways, ensuring transparency and fenestrations in the barricades, to establish a visual access between them, and thereby enhancing the urban public realm of ‘seeing’ and ‘being seen’.