Mysuru zebra crossings are disappearing and putting pedestrians at risk

Mysuru: In a city that once introduced pelican crossing lights and raised pedestrian crossings to improve walkability and ensure the right of way for pedestrians, basic road safety is now under threat. Across several busy junctions in Mysuru, standard zebra crossings have either been replaced with decorative artwork or marked only half the road, leaving pedestrians exposed and confused.The students and daily commuters are forced to navigate heavy traffic without clearly visible and legally recognised crossing points.The situation has also exposed a lack of coordination between the Mysuru City Corporation (MCC) and the police department. While police maintain that creating infrastructure such as zebra crossings, road markings and pedestrian signal lights is the responsibility of the civic body, MCC officials say such work must be initiated based on requirements flagged by the user agency, namely, the traffic police.Under the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, and the Motor Vehicles Driving Regulations, zebra crossings are meant to protect pedestrians. Drivers are required to slow down while approaching a pedestrian crossing and stop if a pedestrian is on or near it. This gives pedestrians the legal right of way at such crossings. But in Mysuru, the absence or dilution of these markings has weakened that protection on the ground.A reality check by TOI found multiple locations where pedestrian crossings have been rendered ineffective. At Chamarajendra Circle, also known as Old Statue Circle, KR Circle, Albert Victor Road and D Devaraj Urs Road, zebra crossings have been completely covered with artwork. At other junctions, including Field Marshal Cariappa Circle, the JLB Road and Devaraj Urs Road junction, and Javagal Srinath Circle near Rotary School, only half the road has been marked with zebra stripes, making crossings incomplete and unsafe.At Maharani's College, a group of first-year degree students said they hold their breath while crossing the road because there is no proper pedestrian crossing. Thousands of girl students cross JLB Road every day.The lack of stop lines has added to the problem. A police constable said vehicle users halt haphazardly at intersections because there are no stop-line markings, making it difficult for traffic personnel to regulate movement or stop vehicles to allow pedestrians to cross safely. The issue becomes more pronounced during peak traffic hours.A former traffic police officer recalled that Mysuru police earlier introduced several pedestrian safety measures, including pelican crossing lights at Chamarajendra Circle, where pedestrians could operate the signal to cross safely. MCC also built raised pedestrian crossings in key parts of the city at a cost of around Rs 50,000 each to improve visibility and force vehicles to slow down, but today, no such initiatives have been taken by authorities.Seema Latkar, commissioner of police, said: "The onus of creating infrastructure, including road markings, zebra crossings and pedestrian signal lights, lies with the local civic body. Police informed MCC authorities about the issue during road safety meetings, but the work still had not been carried out. Zebra crossings at some locations were replaced with artwork."Meanwhile, MCC commissioner Shaik Tanveer Asif said, "MCC is always ready to assist the police department in creating infrastructure for traffic management and pedestrian safety. MCC needs inputs from the traffic police to take up work accordingly. I would speak to the police commissioner to understand the requirements."