The union government must highlight the alarming number of pedestrian deaths in the country, a national coalition of NGOs has demanded through a campaign launched on Sunday.
The Sustainable Urban Mobility Network (Sum NET) has also asked the Centre to recognise January 11 as National Pedestrian Day, besides taking policy intervention to make commuting by foot safe, convenient and pleasant.
“As per the 2011 census, one-third of all work trips are by foot. According to the National Statistical Organisation, 60 per cent of the children walk to school. All bus commuters necessarily have to walk to and from the bus stop. Despite this, walking infrastructure is inadequate and even non-existent in most of the cities,” Sum Net said in a news release.
Pointing to government data, it noted that 17 per cent of the total road crash fatalities were pedestrians, with 25,858 killed in 2019.
“Data shows that this number has increased by 85 per cent in 5 years,” it said. Shaheen Shasa of the Bengaluru Bus Prayanikara Vedike said pedestrians were made to feel like second-class citizens.
“Private vehicles are given priority over pedestrians in the city and that must change. Pedestrians must have the first right of access and streets must be designed to give them primacy,” she added.
A draft resolution for the National Pedestrians’ Day noted that walking can be an important enabler to meet the goals of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, especially regarding health, reducing inequalities and climate change among others.
Pointing to the 2006 National Urban Transport Policy that stressed people’s mobility and not vehicles’, the draft resolution exhorted state governments to adopt best practices to promote walking among all members of society.
Partners of Sum Net are planning to meet decision-makers seeking their support for declaration of the pedestrians’ day and policies to make walking safe.
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