[karanddd]

https://www.thehinducentre.com/the-a...le38500803.ece

I saw this story in The Hindu and thought to share it here as there's been a lot of discussion around road safety, but most of it regarding vehicle occupants. Pedestrians (& two wheeler users) are a far more vulnerable group. The reason is obvious. In the event of a collision with a rashly driven car, they stand almost no chance.

The article also points out in detail how poor the walking infrastructure is in India. Most roads in most cities have no dedicated sidewalk, and people on foot have to share the same road space with bikes and cars. This makes both the driving and the walking experience painful and unpleasant.

The article contains images of pedestrians forced to hop tall metal dividers to cross roads, which is atrocious and hostile design. New roads that are constructed focus on making the flow of vehicle traffic smooth and altogether eliminate sidewalks, pedestrian crossings and traffic lights. Yet people nevertheless walk on and alongside them, as they have no other option.

It is unsustainable to build cities and roads that do not cater to pedestrians, as a majority of people must walk in order for life (& air quality) in any city to be plausible. If every person who needs to get around resorts to a motorised vehicle (even to get to and from public transportation hubs), the traffic gridlocks will become untenable and terrible (this is already happening in certain cities).

But walking cannot be encouraged until good walking infrastructure is in place. The way in which parents can let their child walk to school or the playground in European and Latin American cities must be replicated here. But in the current conditions, which parent will do that? This is why we see children being ferried to places in the 1-2km distance range by car or motorbike.

I want to ask fellow members what thoughts they have on prioritising walkability and how that can take place in India. Also I want to ask what your walking experience is like in the city you live in. I personally try to walk wherever I can (in Delhi), but it's a horrible experience compared to walking in every other country I've been in.

Most places there isn't a sidewalk so you cannot walk without constantly thinking about what's coming behind you (not to mention the terrible noise of incessant honking). Wherever there is a sidewalk, cars are parked diagonally in front of the sidewalk and in many places the sidewalk disappears, or is broken for a house's driveway, and sometimes cars are parked in the parts where it's broken. Or the sidewalk is blocked by a thela or tree or construction debris or the yellow police barriers. This forces you to jump off the sidewalk (because they are so high), walk past the parked cars and be on the same road as the cars. In most other countries, parked cars function as a barrier between walkers and motor traffic. Not in Delhi.

I truly believe that if our cities are made more walkable, it'll drastically improve our quality of life. There'll be less pollution and less noise. On top of that, it just feels good to walk around a city without being agitated and jittery and afraid of vehicles all the time. It'll make our cities feel less hot and less congested. I think all of that is worth it even at the cost of barring certain parts of our cities to all vehicles during the daytime (shops can resupply at night etc.), similar to the old town areas in European cities. What do you guys think?

[Lalvaz]

Thank you for sharing such a comprehensive article. It was a very interesting read, and although it stated many obvious truths, the images and solid research really drove home the lack of safe mobility solutions for the pedestrians in our country.

I used to think that Delhi was much better than Bombay, which I feel is overly congested. I for one would not be very comfortable walking on many streets of Bombay due to the encroachments on footpaths, non existent footpaths, bikers on footpaths, and the incessant honking by the other road users. While I love walking, and try to do 15k steps daily, I think its wiser to restrict that to a treadmill or a walking track, not on our unruly roads.

I agree fully with you and the author of the article that we must make clean, safe footpaths available across our cities to ensure greater pedestrian traffic. We keep harping about the need to protect the environment, but often neglect the most eco friendly mode of transportation, ie. Walking. High time we did something about it.

[ninjatalli]

Excellent article and thanks for sharing. This is such a crucial aspect from multiple angles - safety, health/pollution, affordability and many more. Pick any city and only the core / central areas have regulated space to walk. And even in those sections with footpaths we have to contend with in-explainable gaps where the footpath either disappears or is made into a gateway/road for the adjacent buildings or is taken up by some electricity poles or just garbage lying around.

If we expand the article stats to even consider bicycle, then we are talking about 52% of travel mode share across India - and the treatment of both segments is deplorable; and at times both segments have to fight each other for the same shoulder area on most roads.

Considering we are one of the most densely populated nations in the world and yet with one of the lower % of vehicle ownership, (unfortunately) the above situation is not going to get any better.

[Arsenic]

Interestingly, India isn’t the only country with such horrid pedestrian infrastructure.

This YouTube short by Amsterdam-based Canadian YouTuber Not Just Bikes, who covers topics related to public transit and urban planning, shows just how odd and detached it feels to walk to a grocery store in the car-centric Canadian city of ‘Fake London’ (London, Ontario).

Link to video:

https://youtube.com/watch?v=PO4k2Svd92s?feature=share

[V.Narayan]

Thank you for sharing this article and starting this most relevant of threads. I read a similar article in the Times of India in 1987. Clearly little has changed since then.

I wonder how many on team BHP have visited a DTP department of a municipality. DTP stands for Dept of Town Planning. One visit to the seniors there and you will know why our roads are so pedestrian unfriendly - because the concept does not exist in their minds. In c.1999 as the head of the residents association of my colony (pronounced kalloni for those outside NCR) I had the opportunity of dealing with them. While they were courteous and willing to assist their whole approach to pavements was 'isski zarrorat kya hai, sadak tou hai na V_____ji' - where is the need for a pavement when you have a road.

When an area is demarcated for town planning, often decades ahead of the actual construction inadequate allowance is made for growth of population and vehicles. For example the modern city of Gurgaon you see today had its broad layout, road widths and sector divisions planned for c1973-75 and frozen in the late 1970s with the detail intra sector layout, roads, sewage trunking design frozen by c1981. And even within that I know at least for one sector (and must be for others) no allowance was made for pavements within a sector though the typical NCR high jump pavements were catered for on the periphery of the sectors or along the main arteries. I won't blame them for not forseeing the car and two wheeler boom that came from the late-1980s onwards. But now with the motorized traffic pressure and a population 3X of what was planned for the pavements get cannabalized by the road.

The story of good pavements starts from sensible town planning 50 years in advance.

[ValarMorghulis]

Ah, the plight of pedestrians.

It reminds me of an incident from Pune 2018.
Hinjewadi Phase-2, Wipro Circle: Every evening a large crowd gathered there to catch their respective buses, cars etc. to go home while the traffic swelled with each passing second. Thanks to a paltry bus stand, the walking and standing crowd spilled over to the concrete (slightly elevated) pathway. But then the bikers had to cut through traffic!

So they did the best thing available to them: Drive on the pathway honking their way to traffic free nirvana and nudging pedestrians and walkers alike. With number of bikers abusing the pathway increasing, a few brave souls dared to oppose these bikes. Arguments ensued and honking increased exponentially. A few complaints were registered with the traffic police explaining how the meagre pedestrian area was abused by the bikers.

The police swooped into action. The next Monday, I came to the bus stand and lo and behold. The entire pathway was removed.

[DicKy]

Not just lack of footpaths, there are a lot of root causes that lead to this agony.

Too low a footpath, vehicles use it as part of the road, too high a footpath, most pedestrians find it (hard-senior citizens/lazy-ordinary folks) to use and walk along the roadside.

Any provisions for wheelchairs, two wheelers are happy to use them as on/off ramps to convert the pedestrian footpath into a two wheeler highway.

No designated spots or market places for street traders/hawkers, they enroach the footpath and push the pedestrians to the road.

No parking facilites available, cars just park on the footpaths. Here again, the height is a determinant. Too high a footpath, vehicles will be deterred, but pedestrians will also refrain from using them, and end on the road again.

If there is a proper footpath with steel railings and it is perfect for usage, then there will be a tree in the way courtesy of tree huggers.

That is if at all there is a pedestrian footpath. Many suburban areas have just concrete slabs covering the drains. One would be scared of using the footpath again, if one uses these. Not propery installed, these would act like see-saws if one steps on the wrong spot.


Proper footpaths actually doesn't make you feel the distance of walking. The City Roads Improvement Programme (CRIP) in Thiruvananthapuram, for all its faults, makes walking a breeze. Atleast the city centre area. I could walk for 6-7kms easily even with our undulating topography. I mean walking for some purpose, not exercise. Compared to that, in my small town I find it hard to even walk 2-3 kms without the risk of getting run over and getting my feet all dusty or muddy (depending on the weather) if wearing open footwear. Add to that even a 200m walk feels like some obstacle course. Dodging two wheelers, stones, rods, concrete slabs, tar roads, puddles, sand, mud, garbage yabadabayabadaba...

Originally Posted by Arsenic

This YouTube short by Amsterdam-based Canadian YouTuber Not Just Bikes, who covers topics related to public transit and urban planning, shows just how odd and detached it feels to walk to a grocery store in the car-centric Canadian city of ‘Fake London’ (London, Ontario).

For some reason, I find this guy extremely annoying. Maybe moving from the urban sprawl in North America to the dense urban areas in Netherlands might be a life changer to him, but most of his ideas are not universally applicable.

Originally Posted by ValarMorghulis

The police swooped into action. The next Monday, I came to the bus stand and lo and behold. The entire pathway was removed.

[shravansp24]

Originally Posted by karanddd

What do you guys think?

I think it can be a success in developing rural and outskirt of cities but with such space deficits already, I doubt it could even be possible inside the city.

Here in Chennai, Govt. made a bit of initiative to make service roads and pathways here and there for cyclists and walking but it's being used for wrong side driving, parking(especially parking since the buildings that are being constructed have not much parking space as they can use these pavements and service roads) and road side street shops/food trucks

Article about OMR Service Roads in Chennai with pics

Article about besant nagar beach in Chennai

[Arsenic]

Originally Posted by DicKy

For some reason, I find this guy extremely annoying. Maybe moving from the urban sprawl in North America to the dense urban areas in Netherlands might be a life changer to him, but most of his ideas are not universally applicable.

Its somewhat understandable, given that what NJB shows in ‘Fake London’ would be the next step for our cities if we kept designing them the way we do nowadays.

The problem is, there certainly are lots of benefits of having less cars on the road. For one, car enthusiasts like you and I can enjoy peaceful roads without the pain of sitting in traffic.

But two, there are so many upsides about living in a place like this. Kids get more freedom to move around, the air feels cleaner, everything is in the neighbourhood etc.

I’d recommend watching this video below to understand a little more about why he moved to the Netherlands, as well as some of the huge benefits you get from moving there:

https://youtu.be/oHlpmxLTxpw

[z_3en]

Originally Posted by karanddd

https://www.thehinducentre.com/the-a...le38500803.ece

I saw this story in The Hindu and thought to share it here as there's been a lot of discussion around road safety, but most of it regarding vehicle occupants. Pedestrians (& two wheeler users) are a far more vulnerable group. The reason is obvious. In the event of a collision with a rashly driven car, they stand almost no chance.

I understand that this article was published elsewhere but still our fellow bhpian took out the time to share it with all of us. Its just AMAZING to be a part of teambhp. I mean this is the kind of content I was craving for since long. Ofcourse it's the knowledge and humble bhpians that put out such content but keeping the atmosphere so clean, respectful and healthy is something teambhp should be given massive credit for. It's a cycle of either supporting the other. Just one of the many posts that give an assurance that the indian car scene is in good hands.

[RedTerrano]

Here is my take on this issue.

TLDR;
Everyone is to blame for this problem. Including pedestrians.

Long version:
Let's go through some concrete evidence.

First of all a pic from the quoted article. This is just wrong. The median barricade exists for a reason. Trying to circumvent it, is just exposing yourself as well as others to danger. Please don't do this.

Please cross only at designated areas. Such areas usually have zebra crossings and signals, which pedestrians are expected to follow for their own safety

Now let's check the reality of footpaths.

Good footpaths exist, but moronic bikers invade it. My mom, a senior citizen was on such a footpath some years ago, for her morning walk. Out of the blue, a biker came onto the footpath, collided with her and she fell down. Fortunately no broken bones but understandably, she was totally shaken up.

A much too common site in India. The irony is, people like you and me might be their customers.
Food for thought.

This new nonsense is fast catching the fancy of the administration. Notice the already double footpath protected by the barricade. But this is not enough. The administration still need to further throttle the width of the road by this nonsense.

The civic administration doesn't stop there. Sometimes they put up bus stops smack on the footpath, forcing the pedestrians onto the road.

Many a times, the left over material used to construct the footpath, is left right there, again forcing the pedestrians onto the road. Raise a complaint, and probably they will shrug their shoulders and point fingers at some other department, claiming not my responsibility.

Sometimes, a walkable footpath exists, along with encroachment. Still pedestrians take to walking on the roads, putting themselves as well as drivers in harms way.

And last but not the least, certified morons who simply refuse to use a good usable footpath, because Meri Marzi

But all these will surely fade in comparison to this "lady" who crosses the road where ever she feels like, walking away nonchalantly, leaving carnage and destruction in her wake.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pdQGoRDB7UA

Moral of the story?
This is India. We will never change.
All we can do is take precautions. For the rest of it, trust in God. What else can you do anyway?

Pedestrians: Be aware of your surroundings and follow the rules as much as possible. Sure you might get away with minor bruises. You will definitely get immediate sympathy and the crowds will beat up the offending driver before handing him to the cops. But remember, your luck will run out sometime and you might die.
Drivers: Be aware of your surroundings. Do not forget the sheer mass of your vehicle means it has a potential for causing serious damage.
Belt up. Wear a brain bucket. Use your horn generously (latest no honking fad be dammed)
Stay safe and keep your wallet safe.

[DicKy]

Originally Posted by Arsenic

Its somewhat understandable, given that what NJB shows in ‘Fake London’ would be the next step for our cities if we kept designing them the way we do nowadays....... I’d recommend watching this video below to understand a little more about why he moved to the Netherlands, as well as some of the huge benefits you get from moving there:

Nope, still annoying, and to be frank he is kinda extremist in his views, citing convenient issues to justify his opinions. Also, more than the above video there is another one explaining why he came to hate suburbs and love the Netherlands model. Don't get me wrong, I love walking in the city and either walk or take the bus or metro (if available in the city am in). Rarely ever take an autorickshaw and I don't even have any taxi/ridesharing app. And to sound even more stupid, I bought a single speed bicycle to use for two years in Al Khor,Qatar. Just google the humidity and wind speed in that tiny town.

His views are strictly based on the North American sprawl model vs European compact city models. Both are at the extreme ends. We won't have car centric urban cities ever in India nor do we have the socio-geographic conditions for compact cities. The infra we are building right now is to address the woefully poor infrastructure that should have been developed decades ago. @RedTerrano has perfectly show us the problems faced by pedestrians, which include ironically themselves.

Originally Posted by Arsenic

The problem is, there certainly are lots of benefits of having less cars on the road. For one, car enthusiasts like you and I can enjoy peaceful roads without the pain of sitting in traffic

Even now I mostly commute by bus and try to have a joyride in the curvy roads nearby on sunday morning. Used to think the same, but it is a short sighted thinking. The sheer variety of vehicles available, the tech growth, the beautiful roads are all there because of mass production and commuting by car. There is a balance between commuter cars and enthusiast cars. Go either way, you trade either FTD or affordability.

[Sk8r]

Not sure if this has been mentioned earlier, there is another horrible *no word can explain this* problem for pedestrians / cyclist from parked vehicles - " Spit " from drivers of parked vehicles ( especially trucks / buses )

I have personally seen / experienced it more than once and it is a horrible feeling to say the least !

[DicKy]

Originally Posted by Sk8r

Not sure if this has been mentioned earlier, there is another horrible *no word can explain this* problem for pedestrians / cyclist from parked vehicles - " Spit " from drivers of parked vehicles ( especially trucks / buses )

I have personally seen / experienced it more than once and it is a horrible feeling to say the least !

Another example of our utter lack of civic sense. Touchwood, never been spat on. But have been metres away from being spat on and also water bottles, wrappers thrown on my walking path.

Always wary when walking by the side of a tourist bus.

[ppc_rgs]

They took a conscious effort in Bangalore to build pedestrian friendly roads in CBD. They have wide and usable footpaths and it is a pleasure to walk past the stranded traffic. They have their own flaws, but it works.