Bengaluru Techie Shares Videos of Broken Sidewalks ‘One Slip and a Lifetime Injury’

A Bengaluru-based software engineer recently compared city walking to an “extreme sport” after a close call while trying to board a bus. According to a report by Moneycontrol, 41-year-old Yogeesh Prabhuswamy Gandige witnessed the incident at Konanakunte bus stop near Forum South Mall. He shared his frustration on X (formerly Twitter) after narrowly avoiding injury due to damaged sidewalks and poorly maintained infrastructure.

In his post, Gandige shared two videos showing storm drains, debris-strewn sidewalks and commuters standing precariously on these unstable structures while waiting for buses. He noted the challenge of navigating in such conditions, describing that even simple walks around the city require “balance skills” and the ability to jump between uneven surfaces.

“Walking in Bengaluru is an extreme sport. You need the ability to balance on a tiny strip of concrete and hop from the sidewalk to the road!” he wrote.

Deciding not to board the bus that day, Gandige remarked, “No, I didn’t dare to board that bus! All it takes is one slip and a lifelong injury – this is how pedestrians are treated in the so-called “Infra Era!”

The report also mentioned that Gandige regularly uses the Konanakunte bus stop and the poor condition of the sidewalk often causes him anxiety and delays.

Since Gandige’s post went viral, it has sparked a number of reactions, with many users highlighting the poor infrastructure and its dangers.

One user commented: “What’s even more shameful for bbmp is that they were built now rather than the old, crumbling infrastructure. Even new development is being implemented in such a shoddy manner that there is no hope left. And this is the case in every case. Whitefield is covered in it, everywhere they built these paths. And even that took several months to cover just 400m.”

One user joked, “Those who survive and excel in this sport could go to the Olympics one day!” another compared the situation to “walking barefoot on broken glass.”

“Pedestrians occupy the lowest position in the hierarchy on the roads. We don’t have good roads, we have inferior or non-existent pedestrian paths, the initiated projects (Ejipura flyover, Bellandur lake bridge) remain incomplete…,” one of the people emphasized.

One user sarcastically commented: “Indirectly, the government is preparing citizens for the Olympics.”

Someone else noted: “Same situation near Hope Farm junction. Paths are dug up without any plans and are never renovated. Every step seems uncertain. I hope Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike does something about the pedestrian paths on the BLR.

So far, the post has been viewed by over 25,000 people.