Creating walkable & bikeable cities in COVID-19 times

Although health concerns may push people away from public transport, we should use this time to promote economical, clean & healthy modes of transport i.e., walking and cycling

Urbanisation is often both an indicator of and the inevitable fallout of economic growth. However, unplanned urbanisation creates challenges in terms of service delivery and quality of life. A study conducted by the Royal Institute of British Architects found a clear and positive correlation between the greater availability of green spaces, lower housing density and higher overall health of the local population. When a city is organised in a manner that it encourages people to walk and run outdoors and makes safe spaces available for children to play, its population is healthier.

As Indian cities become congested and sprawl outwards, the stress on urban infrastructure deepens. India is slated to double its urban population by 2050 as indicated by the UN’s World Urbanisation Prospects report, 2018 .

As city populations swell, so will the number of vehicles and the corresponding levels of pollution and congestion. This assumes greater significance in the context of the prevailing COVID-19 situation, which is likely to shift people away from public transport towards personal vehicles due to health concerns.

This would be the opportune time to promote the most economical, clean, and healthy mode of transportation: Walking and bicycling. Apart from the costs, it is also a safe and hygienic option as compared to any form of shared transport. The need to promote walking and bicycling amidst the prevailing situation has perhaps been best recognised and addressed by the UK government. The British Transport Secretary recently announced an ambitious £2 billion post-pandemic plan to swiftly implement measures to promote walking and bicycling to cope with the expected increase in vehicles.

Institutional and infrastructure issues

The issue with walkability in the Indian context is that in most cities, pavements are either non-existent or are dirty, broken and encroached upon. Interestingly, it is not just vendors and squatters who have encroached on pavements, but even civic agencies are part of the problem.

In many cities, pavements are blocked by public toilets, overbridges, electricity poles, garbage collection units and even pillars supporting the overhead metro rail. Pavements are routinely dug up for laying of pipes and cables. All this calls for much better urban planning and coordination.

Another issue hampering mobility is pedestrian safety: It is extremely risky for a pedestrian to safely cross a road. Zebra crossings are poorly understood. Pedestrian traffic signals are mostly non-existent or often non-functional. As per the Rules of the Road Regulation, it is the duty of the driver to slow down when approaching a pedestrian crossing. In a 1987 judgment of the Supreme Court, it was ruled that all persons have the right to walk on the road and are entitled to the exercise of reasonable care on the part of the vehicle driver, but despite these acts and rulings, pedestrian and cyclist deaths are on the rise.

Technically, addressing these issues is not tough. Pavements should be cleared of encroachments and well maintained, pelican signals can be installed for facilitating safe road crossing and dedicated bicycle lanes can be built on either roads or on widened pavements. Technologies such as automatic-number-plate-recognition cameras generating automatic challans for violators can ensure discipline. However, the combination of poor planning and implementation, lack of accountability and incentives for authorities as well as the multiplicity of agencies involved, create a deep-rooted institutional challenge.

The way out

First, the institution of a unified transport agency with requisite revenue streams, accountability and incentives must be considered at the city and state levels. At present, the traffic police are responsible for signals, bus services are operated by state transport corporations, separate corporations run metro rails, and pavements and roads are either maintained by public works departments or municipal corporations.

Such agencies should be tasked with the planning, operation and maintenance of public transport, pavements, traffic signals, roads and bicycle tracks and have revenue sources such as parking and congestion fees. They should also be responsible for issuing driving licences. Transport for London (TfL) is an example of this model. Institutionalising this model would lead to the holistic improvement of public transportation in cities due to increased accountability combined with a profit centre, closer planning and coordination and seamless connectivity across various transport modes.

Second, drivers should be trained to be considerate towards pedestrians and cyclists. In many countries, pedestrians have a duly enforced first right of way. It is recommended that curriculum in educational institutions be revised such that there is a greater focus on traffic rules and etiquette. After all, any form of learning has to begin at a young age for it to have impactful results.

Third, the imminent constitution of the National Road Safety Advisory Board is a welcome step. The board would consist of technical experts who would advise and conduct research on areas such as road safety and traffic management. The board should make the promotion of non-motorised transit one of its key priorities, given the extremely high number of pedestrian fatalities.

Fourth, recent amendments to the Motor Vehicles Act now allow for states to make schemes for the promotion of last-mile connectivity, improvement of urban transportation, reduction in congestion and the promotion of road safety. These provisions could be leveraged to evolve a comprehensive plan of action aimed at making roads more accessible and safer for pedestrians and cyclists and must include steps towards the creation of a unified transport authority. This will strengthen the base for the evolution of an integrated, unified, and efficient transportation system.

A favourable infrastructure and policy environment is one of the best ways of addressing not only congestion and pollution but also making India’s city dwellers healthier and fitter by allowing them to walk and cycle more.

(Archana Gulati is Joint Secretary and Siddharth Sinha is Young Professional with NITI Aayog. Views are strictly personal)

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are the authors' own. They do not necessarily reflect the views of DH.