Mumbai, Bengaluru, Delhi: Why it is so difficult to walk in Indian cities

In India, if you happen to ask a pedestrian what number of obstacles they’ve encountered on a footpath, they might not be capable of depend them – however they will actually let you know that the majority footpaths are in poor situation.

This is what Arun Pai says he learnt when he began asking individuals about their expertise strolling on the streets of his metropolis, Bengaluru (previously Bangalore), in southern India.

This month he arrange a “fun challenge” – referred to as the ‘world’s longest footpath run’ – which invited individuals to stroll or jog on an 11km (8 miles) stretch of footpath and make an observation of all of the obstacles they encountered, like hawkers, rubbish or damaged slabs of concrete. Next, they had been requested to fee the footpath on a scale of 1 to 5.

“When you have specifics, it gets easier to ask the authorities to take action. Instead of telling your local politician “the footpaths are unhealthy”, you can ask him or her “to repair particular spots on a avenue,” Mr Pai says.

Mr Pai, who is the founder of Bangalore Walks, a non-profit that promotes walking, is among several citizen activists who are pushing to make the country’s roads more pedestrian-friendly.

In India’s capital, a tour company called Delhi by Cycle has been advocating for making the city more cycle-friendly and walkable. These walking-enthusiasts are holding awareness walks, building walking apps and lobbying with politicians to make a change.

Even in India’s biggest cities, proper footpaths are few and far between and they are often overrun by hawkers and shops, parked vehicles and even cattle. In some places, they double up as homes for the poor.

Even footpaths that exist are often not built to standard or properly maintained. Navigating roads on foot through crowds and traffic can be a nightmare.

Last month, Walking Project, a citizen’s group in India’s financial capital, Mumbai, released a ‘pedestrian manifesto’ ahead of Maharashtra state elections to highlight the poor condition of the city’s roads and encourage local politicians to take action.

The manifesto included demands for better parking, designated hawking zones, pedestrian-friendly corridors on arterial roads and to make footpaths more accessible to those with mobility challenges.

“Government statistics present that nearly 50% of the town’s inhabitants depends on strolling, which is much higher than the 11% that makes use of non-public transport and the mixed 15% that makes use of tuk-tuks and buses,” says Vendant Mhatre, convener of Walking Project.

“And but, pedestrians are probably the most ignored group of customers on the subject of framing insurance policies round transport or highway security,” he adds.

According to the latest government estimates on road accidents, pedestrian fatalities were the second-highest after those of two-wheeler riders. In 2022, over 10,000 pedestrians lost their lives on national highways across the country, with around 21,000 more sustaining injuries in accidents.

“Authorities typically resort to band-aid options like including velocity bumps or a sign to curb highway accidents. But what is basically wanted is inter-connected footpaths that may accommodate excessive footfall,” Mr Mhatre says.

Studies have found that addressing the problems of this forgotten group of road users can reap benefits for multiple stakeholders.

In 2019, researchers within the southern metropolis of Chennai studied the impact the construction of recent footpaths on 100km (62 miles) of the town’s streets had on the surroundings, economic system and the well being and security of residents.

They found that the new footpaths encouraged 9% to 27% of the surveyed respondents to walk instead of using motorized transport, which led to a reduction in greenhouse gases and particulate matter. They also learned that the footpaths provided new opportunities for women and lower-income groups, helping them save money as well.

The survey highlighted how people with disabilities and women might have nuanced requirements from footpaths and that tailoring improvements to meet their needs could enhance accessibility and equity.

“Very typically, individuals haven’t got a benchmark for footpath high quality, particularly in the event that they have not travelled overseas or been uncovered to locations which have good amenities for pedestrians,” Mr Mhatre says. He reasons that that’s why there isn’t enough outrage about the quality or absence of footpaths in the country.

He also points out that most people see walking as an activity performed for leisure or exercise. And so, the infrastructure they associate with walking stops at gardens or walking tracks. In reality, however, people walk to various destinations daily, so the scope of walking infrastructure is far broader.

“Walking is probably the most economical and environment-friendly approach to navigate one’s metropolis and it is excessive time our leaders paid as a lot consideration to strolling infrastructure as they do to public transport,” Mr Mhatre says.

Geetam Tiwari, a professor of civil engineering, says that the main problem is that too much focus is given to solving the problem of car congestion on roads.

“To enhance the move of visitors, authorities typically slender down footpaths or remove them completely,” she says. Ms Tiwari says that this approach is problematic because doing so makes it difficult for pedestrians to access public transport systems, like buses and metros, which can take the pressure off the roads.

“It may appear counter-intuitive, however permitting the congestion to persist and focussing on enhancing infrastructure for pedestrians will assist resolve the visitors drawback in the long term,” she says.

Ms Tiwari also says that the federal government should make it mandatory for states to implement the guidelines issued by the Indian Road Congress – a national organisation that lays down designing standards for roads and highways.

She says that cities can even implement their very own Non-Motorised Transport Policy (NMTP) to create higher infrastructure for cyclists and pedestrians.

“At the second, solely a handful of cities in India have experimented with a NMTP however its time extra cities step as much as the plate,” she adds.

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