How Mumbai can give walkers their space back

From having an independent cell to dedicated subways for pedestrians to creating separate walking zones in each civic ward These are among the suggestions offered by civic and traffic officials urban planners and other experts to make Mumbai a better place for walkers Civic officials said they are working on a lsquoPedestrian Firstrsquo policy while the traffic officers told midday that they were focused on creating walkerfriendly junctionsAlso read No relief for walkers in quaint south Mumbai tooA dedicated subway for pedestrians near the Metro cinema PicAshish RajeIn its seventh part of the series lsquoNowhere to gorsquo midday spoke to government officials transport experts and various stakeholders to explore ways to boost walkability and create free space for pedestrians in MumbailsquoPlanners have no plans for walkersrsquoJitendra Gupta Citizensrsquo Transport CommitteeldquoWhere does India stand on the world map when it comes to pedestrian safety They make big plans for motorists and add flyovers and bridges for those few thousand car users but there seems to be absolutely no planning for pedestrians No implementation of any master plan Why are master plans created then I remember that at least since three decades back crowds walking on D N Road in the Fort area or bypassing footpaths of Cross Maidan in Churchgate and the condition has remained the same Every day lakhs of pedestrians hit these streets yet no solution is in sight What I want to say is that three decades have passed and still planning authorities have no plans for pedestrians or for their use of public transportrdquo said Jitendra Gupta of the Citizensrsquo Transport CommitteelsquoRoads must have budgets for the footpaths as wellrsquoAV Shenoy Mumbai Mobility ForumldquoAs a person who started his career as a member of the Pedestrian Wing of Consumer Guidance Society of India CGSI this subject is close to my heart As a result of a PIL filed by CGSI and Welfare Organisation for Road Safety amp Prevention of Accidents in 1998 the Bombay HC had instructed the BMC to ensure proper sized footpaths on all roads The NGOs were also given representation on BMC Roads Interutility Coordination Committee However around 2012 the meetings stoppedrdquo said A V Shenoy of Mumbai Mobility Forum ldquoSome suggestions include that the BMC should have a pedestrian cell to ensure walkable footpaths of sufficient width based on pedestrian flow Roads dept should have separate budgets for footpaths and painting of pedestrian crossings The World Bankfunded Mumbai Urban Transport Project had provided for 27 pedestrian subways However only the Metro cinema Dhobi Talao subway was made Rest were dropped These should be revivedrdquo he said ldquoThe traffic police must provide sufficient signal time for pedestrians to cross based on road width Vehicles should not be allowed to stop on zebra lines or move forward before the signal turns green Fixing tiles on footpaths should be removed from corporator funds The pedestrian cell should be responsible for keeping footpaths in good walkable conditionrdquo he addedlsquoTrying to build ideal footpaths that will last for 40 yearsrsquoFootpaths are encroached with no place to walk When will the situation changeThe BMC is working on a pedestrian policy Last year at ward levels the civic body spent nearly R120 to 130 crore for footpath repairs The encroachmentfree footpath is daytoday business with our ward team taking action But yes there are problemsPaver blocks have come off a footpath at Worli File picWhat is the status of the corporationrsquos lsquoPedestrians Firstrsquo policyWe are now in the process of building a few ideal footpaths as a part of a project The locations include areas of Matunga to Wadala Chembur and south Mumbai These footpaths will last for 40 years We have chosen areas where the use of footpaths is highAll footpaths are encroached How will the civic body deal with thisOur ward office teams take continuous action on hawkers It is a continuous process At many locations there are a few licensed stalls too on footpaths About other encroachments like ramps built by societies huge flowerpots we take immediate action if they prove a hurdle to pedestrians People should understand that footpaths are developed for pedestrians About vehicle parking on footpaths we coordinate with the traffic police on a regular basisP Velrasu additional municipal commissionerThere are issues with the quality of footpaths Uprooted paver blocks potholes etc that make problems for walkersUnder the lsquoPedestrian Firstrsquo policy we are improving the quality of footpaths We have now stopped the use of paver blocks on footpaths and are using stencilled concrete instead At a few places we are trying stone blocks All this increases the lifetime of a pavementlsquoWersquore working with authorities to ensure pedestrian safetyrsquomidday spoke to Rajvardhan Sinha joint commissioner of traffic to get more insights into the departmentrsquos efforts on pedestrian safetyTwowheelers occupy a zebra crossing at Ravindra Natya Mandir Prabhadevi on September 20 2021 PicAshish RajeAs per a recent central government report Mumbai stands 2nd highest in pedestrian deaths in the country Pedestrians are the most ignored stakeholders in road safetyYes Pedestrians are a troubled lot in urban centres with an increasing number of vehicles and it is a problem in a city like Mumbai where accident numbers are comparatively higherThere are always multiple regulations like helmets for bikers speed governors for fourwheelers but not much thought is given to pedestriansIt would be incorrect to say that no thought is given for pedestrians We have been working with various stakeholders on the improvement of important junctions that would enhance pedestrian safety and two examples to start with are the Amar Mahal junction and the Trombay junction We have conducted a study here and even signals for zebra crossings have been given adequate time for senior citizens to cross We have suggested some design elements keeping pedestrian safety in mind and submitted them to the civic body for approvalIn a city like Mumbai most footpaths are taken up by various elements like hawkers used for parking forcing pedestrians to walk on the road Any thought given to their plightThis problem has two aspects historical and contemporary In a city like Mumbai where old buildings do not have inbuilt parking areas vehicles are bound to spill onto the streets and footpaths for parking The issue needs to be addressed to the core The newer buildings take care of the parking needs There is a need to get this done in the cityrsquos Development Plan at a macro level Till such time such issues will continue to linger However enforcement of law to nab violators is always taken up in regular driveslsquoParking lobbies donrsquot like footpathsrsquoAshok Datar Mumbai Environment Social NetworkldquoParking lobbies donrsquot like footpaths because they are left with no space to park cars Even on narrow stretches of roads there should be high footpaths with colours to demarcate a pedestrian zone The factors while building an ideal footpath include its height width finish compact tree guards continuity in height width and finish and compact tree guards Such things will also enhance the appeal of walking