Funds demanded to improve pedestrian amenities

Parisar, a Pune-based NGO, has approached the Urban Development Department of the Maharashtra government to issue guidelines to municipal bodies in the state to allocate enough funds for improving amenities for pedestrians such as footpaths, cycle tracks and other facilities at traffic intersections. Parisar has noted that while utilities such as streetlights, traffic signal poles, bus stops, hoardings and garbage containers are usually at the edges of roads, the present roads are built from the centre outwards with not much attention given to the edges and these utilities. These utilities create obstacles for pedestrians, making walking on the footpaths impossible, and forcing them on to the roads. The design of roads should ensure that a space of 1.5m – 2m is left for the pedestrians. The NGO feels that there is a need for a street design manual, on the lines of the one produced by the Delhi government, which would provide proper space for all road users including pedestrians, cyclists, public transport users and street hawkers, as well as provide space for parking, street utilities and furniture. Similarly, there is a need for municipal bodies to have a central cell which could develop street design guidelines, ensure compliance of rules, and respond to public complaints.