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Pedestrians still avoid footbridges, underpasses

Rizanuzzaman Laskar
Eleven years ago, the city managers observed that pedestrians faced dangers each time they jaywalked across the Sonargaon intersection near the Karwan Bazar area.
The solution was the Karwan Bazar underpass that opened in 1997.
However, years later, the pedestrians still seem to prefer crossing the streets in an undisciplined manner ignoring the underpass.
The thousands who use the passageway often find themselves cursing the authorities as they scuffle over the lone stepping-stone peeking over the murky sewage water inside the underpass.
They say on and often they find the underpass nauseating. "The beggars and vagabonds are irritating, frequent blackouts during power failures are incon-
venient and the leaking overhead sewerage pipes are disgusting," said Farhana Reza, an undergraduate student who has to use the underpass everyday to reach her home.
Most people who use the five underpasses in the city would agree with Farhana. And so would the thousands of commuters using, or refusing to use the city's 43 odd footbridges everyday.
City dwellers believe most of the footbridges and underpasses in the city are ill-positioned and poorly maintained.
"The Karwan Bazar underpass is a prime example of poor designing," said Nasiruddin Ahmed, an urban architect from Green Road. "The underpass has a vital design flaw. Even after you have crossed the road towards the mosque on the other side, you would still have to cross the lane on that side."
"And that lane is mostly used by
the local buses which makes that trek all the more risky," he said.
Dhaka City Corporation (DCC) officials believe most of the city dwellers are simply ignoring these overhead bridges, inviting unwarranted accidents.
"We have even installed barbed wires on several road islands to discourage pedestrians from running across the streets. But many people still seem to prefer sliding under the fences to using footbridges," said a DCC official.
Pedestrians, on the other hand have their own reasons to avoid using the footbridges and underpasses.
"I do not feel like walking up and down just to get across the street," said Rehnuma, a resident of Maghbazar. "They steps are too steep, and they are usually littered with trashes and crowded beggars and vendors," she said.
"I am usually in a rush to
either get to office and back home," said Zahidul Hoque, a service holder from Farmgate. "I do not have any energy left after a hard day's work for the extra exercise," he added.
"I am a cardiac patient. They did not keep any alternatives for me. These footbridges are unscientific and risky," said an elderly pedestrian.
Pedestrians further allege that they feel intimidated with floating vendors, sex workers and beggars occupying the footbridges and underpasses.
"It seems these underpasses were built for hawkers, people cannot use them," said Selim, a pedestrian who chose to run across the road instead of using the New Market overbridge.
A good example would be Dhaka's biggest underpass at Bangabandhu Square (Gulistan). The underpass houses an electronic market, which has captured most of the space of the
passageway.
Now pedestrians prefer to stay away from it
“With all the merchandises and boxes lying around in the passageway there is little space to walk," said Abul Bashar a store clerk at the stadium market in Gulistan. "I also heard incidents of mugging inside there. I would rather take the street than using the underpass.”
Poor lighting facilities, lacks of security, muggy interiors and little fresh air especially during the power cuts have made the situation even worse.
There are also allegations of wasting taxpayers' money by constructing and dismantling foot over-bridges in the city in an unplanned manner.
A classic example of this misuse is the first Paribagh footbridge near the Hotel Sheraton. Construction of the bridge was stopped midway earlier on 2004. It was later demolished at a cost
of around Tk 60,000.
It is alleged that over Tk. 11 lakh had already been spent on the half-finished bridge when DCC figured out that the site was not suitable for the construction.
"Around Tk 11.60 lakh simply went down the drain on a single footbridge due to lack of proper planning and oversight," admitted an engineer at the DCC, requesting anonymity.
Later in 2006, another metal footbridge was constructed at Paribagh on a different location, which the DCC found more suitable and cost-effective.
"A huge amount of money was lost, and the sole responsibility lies with the engineering division," he said.
A similar case was the footbridge at Basabo. The bridge was taken down in 2004 as it fell on the way of the Khilgaon flyover.
A total of around Tk 12 lakh was spent to construct the bridge