For all of Kerala, footpaths usually mean a set of slabs laid over drains on both sides of a road. The condition of footpaths in Kozhikode city has been no different, until recently.
The newly renovated roads, in the last five years, under the City Road Improvement Project (CRIP) have paved footpaths with hand rails, which ensure pedestrian safety to a great extent. Most of the important roads in the city now have broader paved footpaths. Arguably, it is not the condition of footpaths that makes Kozhikode one of the least pedestrian-friendly cities.
Pedestrians account for 14% of the total deaths in road accidents in Kozhikode based on the traffic police data of 2021. “There is a severe lack of traffic discipline in Kozhikode and motorists rarely pay attention to a walker,” says Regional Town Planner Isha P.A. Crossing a road here is a risky act, even with the now elevated zebra crossings, she says.
