What must India do to make roads safer for pedestrians

Roads in India are designed with only vehicular traffic in mind: Pedestrians are an afterthought, as evident from the lack of functioning footpaths

Nearly 100 pedestrians die in road accidents every day in India. Against this backdrop, there is an urgent need to implement the directives on making Indian roads safe for those on foot — including compliance with the standards specified by the India Road Congress — issued by the Supreme Court earlier this month. Several aspects of road infrastructure, governance, and use need fixing if pedestrian deaths are to be brought down.

Policing of traffic in most cities is virtually non-existent, except for rent-seeking. This pushes up safety risks, especially for pedestrians. (HT Photo)

To start with, roads in India are designed with only vehicular traffic in mind: Pedestrians are an afterthought, as evident from the lack of functioning footpaths. The design problem is rooted in a capacity deficit, with very few people trained on designing with a holistic perspective on safety and ease of traffic. Similarly, regulatory authorities oversee construction quality and efficiency, and not enforcement based on street planning and management. This deficit is compounded by outdated procedures, where the absence of urban designers and landscape specialists afflicts tender evaluation, with features seminal to pedestrian ease being thought of as ancillary deliverables rather than a primary ask from a project.

Additionally, policing of traffic in most cities is virtually non-existent, except for rent-seeking. This pushes up safety risks, especially for pedestrians who, to be fair, often do not follow the rules, crossing roads where it takes their fancy instead of using foot overbridges or subways. Without urgent changes here — strict implementation of parking rules, stoppages at red lights, mandatory zebra crossings and enforcement of pedestrian rights, and policing jaywalking — the necessary discipline among citizens and safe traffic behaviour will remain elusive. Civilised road use needs improved road governance and behavioural change among people on the road — on foot and in vehicles.