As part of the Mumbai civic body’s ongoing drive to reclaim footpaths by clearing illegal encroachments, civic authorities have planned to redesign the footpaths and peripheries of as many as 30 roads in the eastern suburbs to make them walkable. The 30 shortlisted roads fall under three administrative wards, covering Ghatkopar, Bhandup, Kanjurmarg, Nahur and Mulund areas, stretching across marketplaces, railway stations, schools and bus stops.

In the first phase, civic officials said, all illegal encroachments on these roads were removed. In the second phase, the existing footpath model will be redesigned to improve walkability.

“In Mumbai’s suburbs, footpaths often consist of seamless stretches of culverts created by covering drains running underneath them. As a result, these footpaths are narrow and fail to provide adequate walking space for citizens,” Yogita Kolhe, Assistant Municipal Commissioner, told . Kolhe said that the BMC has involved urban planners who have drafted an integrated pedestrian design.

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“Under this new design, the existing footpaths will be widened to ensure there is a minimum 2-meter width, and the surface will also be made uniform. Additionally, the junction areas, traffic islands around stations and junctions will also be widened and redesigned to make sure there is adequate walking space for citizens. The idea is to promote walkability as a last-mile connectivity medium and provide uninterrupted walking space from railway stations or marketplaces either to their homes or to the nearest transit point like bus stations,” Kolhe said.

After removing illegal encroachments from the roads, civic officials discovered that transformers, fire hydrants and licensed hawking stalls, like Aarey milk stores, along these roads were also hindering pedestrian movement, prompting them to involve urban planners to prepare a design to use the existing space.

“The basic idea is to remove the existing obstacles. At present, the road concretisation work is ongoing. The design will also integrate the new roads with new footpaths. Under the new plan, barricades will be raised to separate footpaths from roads, and markings will be implemented to prevent unauthorised parking,” an official from the civic roads department said.

The design has been finalised, but work will begin in October after the monsoon rains begin to recede. The project will initially be implemented on these 30 roads, and later scaled up to all other administrative divisions in Mumbai.