TMC chief assures safety measures for walkers, runners in Thane

Slug: HT IMPACT Strap: To dedicate lanes for runners in the morning and build standard walkable footpaths across city Thane: Hindustan Times’ Footpath Test-Drive has had an impact in Thane after it gained attention among walkers and runners, who wrote to the civic authority asking for safety measures

Slug: HT IMPACT

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Strap: To dedicate lanes for runners in the morning and build standard walkable footpaths across city

Thane: Hindustan Times’ Footpath Test-Drive has had an impact in Thane after it gained attention among walkers and runners, who wrote to the civic authority asking for safety measures. The civic chief has assured them of measures such as dedicated lanes for runners in the morning and construction of footpaths with high walkability standards.

A group of 200-plus walkers and runners from Thane city had written to the commissioner of Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) following the death of a Worli-based jogger Rajalakshmi Vijay (57) earlier this week and the Footpath Test Drive initiated by Hindustan Times across Mumbai and Thane.

The group also met the commissioner of TMC who assured them of these safety measures. “In Thane, there are active runners, who hit to the street in the early hours of the morning. When we heard about the incident and also read HT’s Footpath Test Drive, we realised how unsafe the roads are for walkers and runners in the city. We took the initiative to write to the TMC commissioner and also to the police asking for measures to ensure we have a safe walk or a run,” said Dr Mahesh Bedekar, a running enthusiast.

In Thane, runners prefer the Upvan lake stretch, Pokhran 2 to Ghanekar stretch daily. “While runners prefer the morning hours, there are few, who get time to run only in the evening. However, the traffic movement does not allow them to run in a safe environment. Even during the morning hours, there is traffic and it does become unsafe sometimes,” added Bedekar.

Abhijit Bangar, commissioner TMC, said, “Walkers association had come to meet me with their concerns about their safety on footpaths and roads while walking and running in Thane. As a civic body, we are responsible to provide these basic facilities. They have asked for extension of the Pokhran lane-2 to Ghanekar stretch to Khevra circle with no traffic movement for two hours in the morning and it can be done. We will talk to the police and ensure traffic is halted so that people can use the lane for walking and running.”

“We will also identify more such roads in the city where there are active runners. Traffic movement on those roads can be halted for two hours in the morning and allow for a free space to run or walk. This will be done in consultation with the runners and the officer in charge of the area,” added Bangar.

Meanwhile talking about the unsafe footpaths in the city, Bangar said it is a concern and it will take time to address this issue across the city. However, he said he has plans to reconstruct footpaths in such a way that they are walker-friendly.

“I recently visited a footpath in Wagale locality and found that a company had used it for their purpose and it is now uneven, making it unsafe. What we will do is start with particular footpaths and reconstruct them following all the standards for walking purpose. It will take time to achieve safe footpaths across Thane but we will definitely start with a few footpaths at first,” added Bangar.