Walkability
Pedestrians in India are a neglected lot. The callous disregard for their rights is evident from the fact that there isn’t a single law, legislation, rule or code that voices their rights and gives them the much needed legal platform from which to launch their battle against those who encroach upon their rights. This is not to say that a valid law will necessarily make a pedestrian’s battle against the authorities any easier. The time, the money and the effort that go into a legal battle, as is well-documented, do act as challenges for a pedestrian raising his/her voice against a denial of his/her rights.
So this is why we see pedestrians, choosing to risk their lives on a daily basis by walking alongside fast-moving cars and ominous buses instead of fighting for decent and walkable footpaths. The risk to life isn’t just a myth; statistics suggest that more than 45% of all accidents that take place in the city Hyderabad are pedestrian-related.
There are many aspects in the pedestrian environment that contribute to the overall concept of a walkable community. Walking could be a pleasurable activity and would definitely go a long way in reducing air pollution in our city. People walk everywhere – from home to work, to shop, to school, and to the park. Every trip by car or bus or other mode starts and ends with walking.
Q. What is a walkability survey?
A walkability survey is a tool that enables us to collect data about our city’s pedestrian environment in a very systematic way. It is also a means by which pedestrians can convey to policymakers what aspects of specific pedestrian sidewalks make for a pleasant and unpleasant walking experience (e.g., feeling unsafe because of lack of lighting, permanent obstructions narrowing the walking space thus making walking uncomfortable). The results of the survey can help decision makers make targeted solutions to improve the walkability of footpaths.
Q. Why do the walkability survey, when we know that Hyderabad has a poor walkability index? Are we not trying to find out the obvious?
A. We agree with you that Hyderabad would have a poor walkability index. Often the perception of what the problem is need not be the reality. Most people when asked to state the major encroachers on the city’s footpaths answered that it was the hawkers that were the major menace. This is often not the case. On each road the encroacher may vary. On some roads the major encroachers are the Retail Outlets of Big Business houses and in fact on some roads, these business houses have already extended their business premises to the road itself. So a walkability survey will be able to pinpoint the exact nature of the problem and guide decision makers make targeted solutions. In fact in Hyderabad, in many places, the encroachers are the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation’s urinals and the transformers of the Electricity distribution agency.
Q. What are the Benefits of the walkability survey?
A. A walkability survey could lead to the following benefits:
(i) To pinpoint the types of encroachment or obstacles that hinder free movement for the pedestrian.
(ii)This in turn could act as a major tool in having a dialogue with the authorities to make pedestrian safety a priority issue.
(iii) This could also lead to the drawing up of more targeted and effective action plans based on a problem-solving approach.
(iv) The walkability index is a very powerful tool to make policy makers understand what needs to be done.
(v) It could urge the policy makers to have a Pedestrian Management Plan that will clearly give the dimensions of the footpaths of all the roads and will also indicate the Pedestrian Crossings.
In France, for example, President Jacques Chirac in his 2002 ‘Bastille day’ speech identified road safety as a personal priority for his administration. Political leadership at this high level sent a powerful message to government departments, the police, and the public about the high cost of road traffic deaths and injuries in France. In 2002 more than 7000 people were still being killed each year on French roads. By 2005 fewer than 5000 people were killed, a drop of more than 20%.
We in Hyderabad need to ensure that a similar message comes from our politicians and is thus translated into a serious campaign for ‘The Right to Life’ vis-à-vis the pedestrian.
For more information, please visit The Right to Walk Foundation website (www.right2walk.com) and CAI-Asia website (www.cleanairnet.org/walkability;
Contact Kanthi Kannan, the Founder President of The Right to Walk Foundation (theright2walk@gmail.com) or contact Sudhir, Transport Specialist of CAI-Asia Centre (sudhir@cai-asia.org) for more information.
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