Sidelined from the sidewalks

Some 'activities' on 160-metre stretch of the pavement show 1. footpath being used as a parking lot 2. illegal ticket counters for bus passengers 3. a car parked on the pavement while a passenger shade occupies a major portion 4. construction material brazenly left on the sidewalks 5. a car repairing shop and 6. a CNG repairing outlet on the footpath.Photo: STAR

The sidewalks of Dhaka have all the elements to turn even the most mild-mannered person into a raving lunatic.
The encroached sidewalks strewn with nuisances such as littered debris, garbage, overflowing dumpsters, workshop equipment and construction material along with missing or damaged slabs, open manholes, overpowering smell of urine and human faeces make taxpayers wonder if they have earned any right to walk freely on the streets at all.
You do not need to walk along the thousands of metres of sidewalks in the city to find out about their poor condition -- just taking a stroll down the sidewalk next to your home would do.
The sidewalk stretching from Baro Moghbazar intersection to the rail gate on Shaheed Tajuddin Sarani is one such sidewalk in the city. When it comes to street nuisances, this nearly 160-metre long sidewalk ticks all the checkboxes.
For starters, 'watch where you tread' would be a good piece of advice for a pedestrian walking down this sidewalk. The track is treacherous -- dotted with potholes and unfinished manhole openings, littered with all sorts of waste, from gas cylinders to construction debris.
If you do not watch your steps on this uneven and hazardous trail, you might find yourself lying on the ground with a twisted ankle or bumped nose.
Having tiptoed your way across the path, get ready for a tussle through the wave of people coming out of the adjacent mosque having finished their prayers.
You might start to wonder how many people in this city have any civic sense and have regards for other's time and convenience when some of the pedestrians in front of you stop abruptly in the middle of the sidewalk, blocking your way, only to have a chat with someone or buy something from a street vendor.
While you are elbowing your way through the crowd of pedestrians, peddlers and panhandlers, make sure you watch for the hot cauldrons set up by a snack vender or a restaurant by the sidewalk. On top of that, watch out for the hazard on both sides of the sidewalk. Or else, you would definitely stumble into one of the stalls selling cigarette, betel leaf (pân) or bus tickets.
However, regardless of how watchful you are, you would need the quickest reflex action to save yourself and your clothes from incoming spitting from pân chewers and wastewater or garbage from stores next to or above the sidewalk.
In case you successfully dodged all that, be sure to save your shoes from the spilling wastewater or sewage discharged onto the sidewalk from adjacent restaurants or buildings.
As you continue along the track dodging foot traffic and keeping an eye on the incoming spits and splashes, hold steady and stay alert for pipes, fixtures and other fittings used for water or sewerage pipelines stacked up on the sidewalk.
If you follow the jagged terrain for another few metres, you will get to the bus stop where hundreds of jittery commuters are waiting for their buses.
Once you manage to find your way through the narrow strip of sidewalk between the jumpy crowd and lampposts, you will have to brace yourself to tackle some trendy cars parked on the sidewalk. Do not even bother if you see a couple of traffic enforcers standing right beside the vehicles parked on the sidewalk. Instead, get ready to go around the parked cars and set foot on the road, braving the rowdy and reckless bus drivers.
Next up are the mechanical engineering workshops and garages. The sidewalk next to these businesses are vibrant with workers doing their welding work. Do not even dare to ask the workers to let you through or remove their hazardous items or the gas cylinders that are blocking the sidewalk
After you make it to your destination at the end of this adventurous stretch of the sidewalk, you should feel blessed to be alive and pat yourself on your shoulder for the achievement.