Mumbai: A fracas between bikers and a senior citizen at Dadar TT on Tuesday triggered a fresh outcry against the rising menace of two-wheelers speeding along footpaths.Resident and Doctor Shonali Rathi, who took to social media after the incident, said that footpaths in the locality have turned into “hazard zones” instead of safe pedestrian spaces. “Footpaths are not race tracks. What was once a simple walking path is now dominated by bikers and scooters, putting pedestrians at risk. Despite repeated complaints, there has been no response from the authorities,” Rathi wrote, adding how, as a citizen, she took every possible step to raise the issue. “The elected representative has been informed, the BMC and Traffic Department’s social handles have been tagged multiple times on the issue, yet the complaints remain unanswered. We’ve raised the alarm everywhere, but it’s like shouting into the void. Must we wait until someone loses their life before action is taken?”According to residents, the stretch between Tehmi Terrace building and Dedhia House is particularly unsafe. With no barricades or preventive measures in place, bikers use the footpath to bypass traffic, endangering walkers.On Monday evening, the situation escalated when Rathi’s father, Dr. M.B. Agarwal (72), said he was pushed down by a two-wheeler that brushed past him on the footpath. “I wasn’t injured, but decided enough was enough and blocked the bikers from using the footpath. A few locals joined me, and together we stopped them until they returned to the road,” Agarwal said. He added that riders often take the footpath to beat traffic and reach the signal faster. “When stopped, they argued that pedestrians also walk on the road. I live and work in this stretch, just a few buildings away, and have seen the menace of bikers using the footpath only grow over time,” he said.The issue of bikers taking over the footpaths has been a citywide menace, and BMC, in response to it, has also placed bollards in many areas. “In many localities, bollards are placed on footpaths to prevent bikers when the road repair work is carried out itself. At times, such bollards are also placed on the insistence of locals,” said a BMC official.
