Death stalks roads

Chennai: The number of pedestrians killed on city roads has almost doubled in 2013 when compared to previous years. As many as 190 pedestrians were killed on city roads in accidents in 2013 as against 103 in 2012, according to statistics released by the National Crime Record Bureau. Had there been adequate sidewalks, many of these hapless walkers would have been saved. The growing vehicle population and shrinking footpaths have made pedestrians more vulnerable and despite increasing vehicle population, walking still remains an essential mode of commute for many in the city.

 

According to the second master plan of the city, the estimated number of trips taken by city residents per day is around 13.3 million in the Chennai Metropolitan Area of which almost 33 per cent are made by walk, 19 per cent by two wheelers and 26 per cent by public transport.“Any journey on mass transport vehicles begins or ends with a walk. Hence it is important to have adequate pedestrian infrastructure,” says Roshan Toshniwal, a senior project associate of the World Resources Institute. “Footpaths should be constructed without any hindrance like transformers, telephone exchange or other encroachments. There should not be abrupt breaks in between footpaths for property entrances as it will discourage people to walk on the pavements,” he said.

 

Reduction of private vehicles on the road is the only way to bring down accidents, particularly in those involving pedestrians, Mr Toshniwal said. “People should be encouraged to make use of public transport. A strict parking policy banning street parking would force many people to avoid personal vehicles,” he said.As per the Indian Road Congress, the minimum width for a footpath should be 1.5 metres and even this space is riddled with several obstacles like utility boxes, lamp posts, trees, and parked vehicles.

 

 

A senior corporation official said that the civic body has taken a major step forward in widening footpaths from 1.5 m to three metre by reclaiming space from the road to make footpaths pedestrian-friendly and to regulate traffic. “Under the grants obtained from the Tamil Nadu Road Infrastructure fund (TURIF), the city corporation has taken up 71 major roads to a length of 48.60 km at an estimated cost of '42.5 crore for converting the existing 5 feet footpath to a 10 feet one with all facilities like street furniture and toilets,” the official said.