A Tale of Two Cities Through Skywalks

I came across the Bandra skywalk, which is the first (pilot project) in an ambitious program of building 50 such skywalks at a cost of Rs 600 crore (USD 129 million). The cab driver, when asked if people use it, was quick to assure me that they will, once the police start fining those who walk on the street.

Separately, the Mumbai High Court rejected a petition by Vile Parle residents and shopkeepers who argued that a skywalk was unnecessary, expensive, aesthetically bad and would result in old growth trees being cut down (and also cut down their business).

Over in Hong Kong, I ended up using several skywalks, all of which are designed to funnel pedestrian traffic out of MTR stations, across busy roads and into various malls and shopping centers. The skywalks there seem to work in tandem with business interests while providing a real benefit to traffic-weary pedestrians.