Footpaths exist only on 53% of roads in Pune

As per Indian Road Congress (IRC) guidelines, a footpath is a portion of the street reserved only for pedestrians and is provided on both sides of the street

While the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has been organising ‘Pedestrians’ Day’ every year on December 11 for the past three years, only 53% footpaths exist in the city, according to the PMC Environment Status Report 2022-23. What’s more, most of these footpaths have been encroached upon and are unsafe for walking.

Civic officials however claim that Smart City Pune has developed 742 kilometre of footpaths out of a total 1,400 kilometre of roads. (HT PHOTO)

As per Indian Road Congress (IRC) guidelines, a footpath is a portion of the street reserved only for pedestrians and is provided on both sides of the street. Going by these guidelines, only a handful of roads in the city – Fergusson College Road, Jungli Maharaj Road, Baner Road, Aundh Road, Ganesh Khind Road, Satara Road, Hadapsar Road, Nagar Road, Senapati Bapat Road, Karve Road, Law College Road, Tilak Road and Shastri Road – have footpaths.

Civic officials however claim that Smart City Pune has developed 742 kilometre of footpaths out of a total 1,400 kilometre of roads. Sahebrao Dandge, superintendent engineer of the PMC road department, said, “Under the Urban Street Guidelines and Pedestrian Policy, the PMC is developing 100 km of roads in two phases wherein we are developing a footpath, cycle track and other facilities and clearing encroachments. We have taken 15 major roads to develop as model roads in the city. We have already started removing encroachments on these roads as well as footpaths.”

“Following the IRC guidelines, if a road is wider than 18 metres, it should have at least 1.8 metres’ wide footpaths on both sides. As the road gets wider, the footpath width increases and additional features like a cycle track, street furniture etc. are included in it,” Dandge said.

Ajit Patil, a resident of Vishrantwadi, said, “Currently, the PMC is mainly working on developing footpaths on major roads in the city areas. But there are other parts of the city where people also need footpaths. The PMC should pay attention to these suburban areas. It seems like most of the funds are being used for roads in the heart of the city rather than other areas. Additionally, there are a lot of encroachments on existing footpaths. The PMC should deploy a special team to regularly clear footpaths through anti-encroachment actions.” Patil questioned the purpose of developing footpaths if hawkers are allowed to use them for food stalls.

Prashant Inamdar from Pedestrians’ First, a non-profit organisation, said, “Pune is currently the most challenging city for pedestrians. There is a need to prioritise footpaths and cycle tracks amidst the ongoing construction of flyovers, the Metro, and other projects to ensure smooth traffic flow. Despite Pune being praised for having a pedestrian policy, the actual situation is quite the opposite. Many sidewalks are blocked, making it difficult for pedestrians. Lakshmi Road is a classic example where every year, the PMC celebrates ‘Pedestrians’ Day’ despite the challenges.”

On Tuesday, civic activist Qaneez Sukhrani filed a public interest litigation (PIL) in the Bombay High Court (HC), urging the enforcement of pedestrians’ rights and the implementation of Indian Road Congress (IRC) guidelines for footpaths by the PMC. Sukhrani said, “Pedestrians’ rights are neglected by the PMC. The footpaths are either badly constructed or broken, or there are none in some areas. Sidewalks are often encroached upon by hawkers, food stalls, beggars, and various obstructions, hindering safe pedestrian movement. Despite the PMC’s reliance on the IRC norms (2012) for planning footpaths, there is a significant lack of implementation. The norms emphasise connected and continuous footpaths, akin to roadways and railways, but the PMC has overlooked this aspect.”

“Haphazardly dug-up footpaths are left uneven, and the Maha Metro is utilising entire footpaths for constructing entry and exit staircases. Basic facilities such as at-grade pedestrian crossings and ramps for seniors and disabled individuals are notably absent,” Sukhrani said.

If data from the Ministry of Roads Transport and Highways is to be believed, Pune city logged 257 accidents in the pedestrian category wherein 111 pedestrians lost their lives, 142 suffered major injuries, and 16 suffered minor injuries.