CHENNAI: Some said carriageways should be made narrower and footpaths wider. Others said policy-makers should start looking at pedestrians as people who contribute to reducing congestion and pollution instead of as second-class citizens.
Speakers at a two-day National Pedestrian Conference, inaugurated in Chennai on Friday were unanimous that more should be done to encourage walking.
Shanthi B, a domestic worker, said she had met with accidents several times with autos and two-wheelers dashing against her while walking from Adyar to Mylapore. Members of pedestrian groups, senior citizens and children, people with disabilities, urban designers, activists, transport planners and government officials spoke about the problems in Chennai where the authorities claim to have set up more than 100km of footpaths.
Santha Sheela Nair, a retired bureaucrat, said footpaths should be designed to ensure vendors are accommodated and pedestrians do not face hindrances. “We see street vendors as competing with pedestrians for pavement space. Actually, the contribution of street vendors to the economy is considerable. And they are the eyes on the street a protection to pedestrians and other road users. When Nordic countries build road infrastructure to encourage walking, why are we doing the opposite,” she asked.
Sumana Narayanan, senior researcher from citizen consumer and civic action group (CAG), said Union ministry of road, transport and highways statistics show that in 2020, 23,483 pedestrians died. “In Chennai, from dodging traffic (even on footpaths) negotiating encroached pavements to crossing roads (often four lanes) - it’s a deadly struggle for pedestrians. On the OMR stretch alone, every year, 34 pedestrians die, 90% of them while trying to cross the road (statistics from Greater Chennai Traffic Police, 2019),” she said.
Others such as senior citizen Kamakshi Subramanian, R Geetha of the Unorganised Workers’ Federation, Ranjith Gadgil of Parisar, an NGO, and Vaishnavi Jayakumar of the Disabled Rights’ Alliance spoke about the importance of footpaths that are encroachment free and safe.
The conference was organised by SUM NET India, a consortium of NGOs and non-profit groups seeking to create a national pedestrian policy and seeking to declare January 11 National Pedestrian Day.
