Guest Column: Walking on thin ice, a pedestrian safety crisis - Hindustan Times
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Guest Column: Walking on thin ice, a pedestrian safety crisis

ByAlok Mittal
May 28, 2023 05:38 AM IST

The lack of investment, prioritisation and enforcement for pedestrians runs parallel to the consistent investment into the creation of new, and widening of existing roadways

A 2021 report of the Union ministry of road transport and highways (MoRTH) showed that 29,124 pedestrians lost their lives in road accidents in India, making for 18.9% of total road fatalities in the year. The same paints a grim picture about the rising pedestrian deaths, marking a 24% jump from the preceding year. Another report from the same year compiled by the Transportation Research and Injury Prevention Programme (TRIPP) at IIT Delhi, meanwhile, revealed that the number of pedestrian fatalities in India is, in fact, even higher than what is officially recorded. Through independent research, it was discovered that pedestrian deaths constituted 35% of all road accident-related fatalities.

An estimated 45 million Indians rely on their own two feet for their daily commute. (Shutterstock)
An estimated 45 million Indians rely on their own two feet for their daily commute. (Shutterstock)

It is important here to pause and think. We are all pedestrians, be it on a brief stroll from our car to a nearby store or a more substantial commute.

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An estimated 45 million Indians rely on their own two feet as their main mode of transportation for their daily commute to work, which significantly outweighs the mere 5.4 million who use motorised personal transport, a 2022 study on commuting patterns showed. Yet, pedestrians in Indian cities have to move on roads inundated with moving cars, darting and weaving through busy traffic. Road networks continue to largely cater to this smaller segment of personal transport users, while the infrastructure for pedestrians has unfortunately remained grossly inadequate.

Why have we been unable to effectively address these pedestrian fatalities, which continue to soar? Despite being the users that have the least protection on our roads, why are even the basic safety needs of pedestrians consistently disregarded?

Let us first address the issue of the space dedicated to pedestrians. Transport and mobility specialist Mario J Alves suggested, “One of the easier ways to measure the health of a democracy is by the size and quality of its sidewalks.” If this was the metric used in Indian cities, it’s clear that we still have a long way to go.

This lack of investment, prioritisation and enforcement for pedestrians runs parallel to the consistent investment into the creation of new, and widening of existing roadways. Despite the evident need for improved infrastructure, engineering efforts are dedicated to easing the movement of vehicular traffic.

While, intuitively, greater space for cars should reduce traffic congestion and make getting from point A to point B easier, the converse has actually proven itself to be true. This is called “induced demand”, which is economist-speak for when increasing the supply of something makes people demand that thing more. Meaning, the more roads we build, the more drivers and their cars will rush to fill them up.

This idea, explored by economists Mathew Turner and Giles Duranton in a paper titled “The Fundamental Law of Road Congestion”, explains the phenomena whereby when you expand upon mobility options, they are used more frequently. For instance, if driving becomes more convenient, people will likely take more trips by car. It’s worth noting that a reduction in space for cars does not lead to increased congestion either. More often than not, levels remain constant, with a percentage of people opting to use other modes of transport instead.

Induced demand also works for pedestrian and cyclist infrastructure. If transport planning incorporates their needs and builds more space for these users, more people will be inclined to use it. Well-maintained footpaths, cycle tracks will mean more people will feel safer walking or cycling.

Given these facts, why is it that we continue to witness the prioritisation of motor vehicles? It’s worth asking: who benefits, and who is being affected the most? The fact of the matter is, a large majority of individuals who walk as their primary mode of commute are from lower socio-economic backgrounds.

A World Bank report analysing the disproportionate impact of road crashes on vulnerable individuals found that both the incidence and impact of accidents were far more severe in lower-income households, with this group recording approximately twice the number of deaths and a far higher financial burden. They are essentially forced to go about their daily lives with the acceptance of “it is just how it is’.

Invariably, it is the less fortunate that make up a higher proportion of fatalities as well.

The crux of the issue is abundantly clear: the safety of pedestrians is barely considered, and certainly not prioritised, when designing roads in India. The issue, and the solution to it, both lie in this design. In 2013, the World Health Organisation (WHO) introduced a comprehensive framework called the Safe Systems Approach with an aim to arrive at a holistic and systemic solution for improving pedestrian safety. The report puts a specific focus on the fact that road crashes involving pedestrians are not inevitable, but are actually both predictable and preventable through development and implementation of comprehensive measures.

The Safe Systems approach also underpins the strategy behind Vision Zero, a global movement, the core idea of which is to shift the responsibility from road users to designers to create a safe mobility system that is forgiving of human error.

The issues regarding pedestrian safety are evident, and the solutions are available. The pedestrian safety crisis in India is a result of systemic neglect, with inadequate infrastructure, and a disregard for pedestrians. A culture of respecting them must be at the forefront of any plans for improvement. The human cost of ignoring this issue is too great to ignore any longer.

(Alok Mittal is an IPS officer of the Haryana cadre and Sarika Panda Bhatt is a road safety expert.)

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