Footpath luxury
Markets, bazaars, pharmacies at every street corner. But how do I get there? There's the option of taking a rickshaw, but that would cost money. What about taking the car? Don't want to get stuck in the traffic jam. Or there is another option...walking. Yes. That's a good idea. Doesn't cost money, can get some fresh air, and exercise.
Excellent idea. One problem. To walk I'd have to immerse my feet in the many layers of spit, rotten fruit remains, dirt and the identifiable brown substance which always line the streets of Dhaka. Easy solution to that. I can just use the footpath, no? No!
Many suburbs in our capital city lack this one necessity. A footpath. Footpaths are something humans use to travel from one place to another. What if we want to take a morning jog? Or a stroll along the neighbourhood? Or just walk to our hearts' content? No. To do that we'd have to dodge the many objects lining the streets, the dogs, the overflowing drains, and the flying plastic bags which have decided to suffocate us. A footpath, for many people would mean that they can complete their day to day necessities, without coming home in a very bad mood just because they now have a smelly substance on the heel of their shoes.
Those of us who are blessed with having a footpath near our front door can let out a sigh of relief. Or can we? We can step outside, raise our legs vertically and hope that we can reach the top of the footpath. Yes, I agree that at least we have footpaths, but if all this money was spent to build the things, why in the entire world did the government make them so damn high? Doesn't making a footpath that high cost that much more money?
A footpath would also ensure that buses letting off their passengers immediately get on the footpath, without dodging the many road vehicles which they have to when the bus drivers kindly drop them off at the middle of the road. Signposts at regular intervals would signal the bus drivers where legalised bus stops are. Unlike some countries we don't have the problem of signposts being vandalised by street gangs.
A normal height footpath can ensure that pedestrians are safe, clean and generally in a pleasant mood when they are walking to their destinations. It can also help lower traffic jams, reduce carbon emissions, and health risks as more people will walk. Not because they have to, but because they want to.
How about we give the deprived simple but okay paid jobs such as keeping the streets clean or say planting more trees. There's no need to look down on such simple jobs. Every small job matters!
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