Bengaluru traffic and flyovers usually give us a headache. But two urban designers are now turning these dead spaces under flyovers into beautiful public spots for citizens to chill.
Bengaluru traffic jams, endless flyovers, and zero walking space for pedestrians is a daily story we all know. But two urban designers are now changing this exact picture. They are turning the dead, unused spaces under our roads and flyovers into beautiful public spots. They are adding swings, seating benches, green plants, and art installations to give these ignored city corners a fresh new look.
Urban designers Nishita Parmar and Vedanti Agarwal, along with their team Compartment S4, took up this mission. They are working hard to make Bengaluru road junctions and under-flyover areas completely citizen-friendly.
What was the pedestrian problem at Race Course Junction?
Pedestrians crossing the road at Bengaluru Race Course Junction always had a tough time. They spent way too much time dodging vehicles. The team noticed a strange thing here. One particular road turn had too much space for vehicles, even though very few vehicles actually used it. Meanwhile, a huge crowd of pedestrians struggled to cross the road in that same area.
Nishita Parmar and Vedanti Agarwal saw this mess. Their team studied the exact movement of vehicles and pedestrians at the junction. They counted the vehicles, tracked the walking paths, and pinpointed the exact spots where people and traffic clashed.
This study revealed a major flaw. The low-traffic turn got extra space, while pedestrians had to walk a really long distance just to cross the road safely.
The team quickly proposed a solid solution. They suggested redesigning the turn, tweaking the traffic flow, and building a safe pedestrian island. This island would give people a safe spot to stand and wait while crossing the road.
College students and office goers use this route every single day. This new design promised to make their daily road crossing much easier.
BBMP steps in for pedestrian safety
This whole initiative became a part of the ‘Orbital’ project. The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) launched this project officially. The Sustainable Mobility Network also backed this plan to promote eco-friendly city transport.
The Race Course Road junction redevelopment work kicked off in December 2023. The master plan included proper pedestrian crossings, seating benches, and safe waiting areas.
Local news reports in February 2025 confirmed the junction development was finally complete. Workers installed benches specifically for pedestrians and office staff. Compartment S4 also officially listed the Race Course Junction project as completed on their end.
However, we still do not have exact data on how much the crossing time dropped or how many vehicle-pedestrian conflicts actually reduced after these changes.
‘Pause Park’ gives a new vibe to under-flyover spaces
The design team fixed the pedestrian safety at road junctions first. Then they shifted their focus to the dead spaces lying empty under the flyovers. The Shivananda Flyover area became their prime example for this experiment.
A massive chunk of space under this flyover was just lying useless. On the flip side, pedestrians walking nearby had to manage with a tiny 1.5-foot wide footpath. People moving between residential layouts, universities, and the race course relied heavily on this exact route.
The designers thought, why not use this empty under-flyover space for the public? This exact thought gave birth to the ‘Pause Park’ concept.
The project vision was simple but brilliant. They wanted to add resting benches, steps, multi-level platforms, swings, greenery, and art spaces. The main goal was to turn a useless, dusty spot under the traffic into a cool public space where people could actually spend some quality time.
Construction work to make this area usable was in full swing by June 2023. Earlier, someone proposed building a basketball court and a skating rink here. But local residents strongly opposed that idea citing safety issues. After that, BBMP stepped in and constructed seating benches and public toilets instead.
Civic officials proudly listed Shivananda Circle as one of the newly developed junctions in February 2025. But a news report published on May 31 of that same year noted that final touches on the mini park swings and greenery were still going on.
Because of this, we do not have clear information if all the park facilities are fully open for public use right now. Still, this brilliant idea of turning under-flyover spaces into citizen-friendly zones has sparked a fresh debate on urban development.
A big step towards a citizen-friendly Bengaluru
Urban design is never just about making roads look pretty. Kids need space to play, senior citizens need spots to rest, and pedestrians need safe walking paths. Transforming dead spaces into public utility spots can totally change Bengaluru city life. These projects clearly prove that we need to build cities for people, not just for vehicles.