Haphazard construction of bus stop at MA Road irks commuters

Srinagar: Haphazard construction of a bus stop at MA Road  has raised concerns among commuters who say it will hamper smooth pedestrian movement on the footpath. 

According to a group of commuters who spoke to Greater Kashmir, the bus stop is not positioned at an appropriate place. They said this will lead to significant disruptions in traffic flow and pose risks to pedestrians.

They said that this bus stand is at the spot where no bus usually stops. “Instead, it should have been constructed near a crossing where there is a wider space and buses usually stop,” they added.

“The bus stop is situated at a narrow section of the footpath. It should have been placed at a wider portion of the sidewalk. The current location of this bus stand is totally wrong,” said Manzoor Ahmad, a pedestrian.

Commuters who use the MA Road route daily to reach office said that they are surprised to see this “ill-designed” bus stop. “Lack of space will force pedestrians to navigate through a congested area on footpath that has a cycle track too,” they said.

The concerned people said that relocating the bus stop to a wider area was a good option to ensure smoother traffic flow and pedestrian movement.

However, SSCL officials claim that there is nothing wrong with this bus stand and there is enough space for the pedestrians.

“There are bus stands which had been constructed on narrow spaces. But people find that fine. There were no risks near those bus stands,” SSCL officials said. 

Anuj Malhotra, General Manager of Planning SSCL told Greater Kashmir that the bus stand is being constructed on Multi Utility Zone in the line of Parking.

“Footpath and Cycle track are clear and unobstructed. There is no safety hazard to any pedestrian and cyclist,” Malhotra maintained.