Koramangala, one of Bengaluru’s busiest neighbourhoods, showed that it can also be one of its most walkable.
On Sunday morning, over 40 citizens, officials and local residents set out on a five-km footpath walk to see whether Koramangala’s pavements were actually usable.
The walk was part of the Project Walkaluru, a citizen initiative aimed at identifying and celebrating the city’s best pedestrian infrastructure. Flagged off by South Corporation Commissioner Ramesh K.N., it saw participation from Arjuna Award-winning athlete Reeth Devaiah Abraham, former Accenture chairperson Rekha Menon, among others.
The group traced a five-km loop through Koramangala 3rd Block- covering Sarjapur Road, 8th Main, 80 feet road, 7th cross and 16th main road- stopping to count obstacles that forced them off the footpath. Before the walk began, the participants guessed they would face 15 to 25 such hurdles. In the end, they found only about eight to 10 obstacles.
There were no garbage piles, no broken slabs, and no two-wheelers parked on pavements- an unusual outcome for any Bengaluru neighbourhood. Only a few cars and construction materials blocked the path in some places. A few minor irritants such as hanging wires, cow dung and stones placed to deter vehicles were also noticed, but overall the walk remained smooth.
When asked to rate the experience, most of the participants gave it a thumbs up. The first walk under the Project Walkaluru, an 11-km Rajyotsava footpath walk, was held in Shivajinagar on November 1. With the completion of the Koramangala route, the initiative has now covered 16 km and aims to reach 100 km across all five city corporations in the coming months.
Published – November 09, 2025 08:12 pm IST
