THE word ‘pedestrian’ refers to all sections of people who walk, sit, stand in public spaces or use a mobility aid like walking stick, crutches or wheelchairs, be they children, teenagers, adults, elderly citizens, people with disabilities, workers, residents, shoppers or sightseers. But, they are the least bothered for in cities such as Dhaka, Chottogram, Khulna and others as they make their way forwards at elbow lengths softly, somehow not using the footpath as these are mostly used by temporary shops, rather, using inches of soil in between the edge of the most unworldly designed footpath and the long queues of vehicles of every sort on the same line, pull-carts, bicycles, motorcycles, waste-collecting vans, auto and paddle rickshaws, ambulances, cars, lorries, covered goods carriers, buses, mini or else, and others.
Not only as an important mode of transport is walking an integral part of daily movement both in cities and rural areas but it also has public health benefits. Every journey starting necessarily with an initial coverage of 1–2 kilometres on foot is considered ideal for health and overall wellness of an individual. It also contributes to reduction in annual expenditure for treatment. That is why there is hardly any public transport available within walking distance in a well-planned city. It is such a plan that prioritises the welfare of citizens above all, which is unfortunately, undermined in our country in road planning.
The word ‘mega’ has lately become a buzzword in the country. There are mega projects, mega malls, mega sales and even that day I saw a mega cone ice cream in a big-named shop’s ice cream corner. Conversely, there is hardly any audible sound heard of a mega plan or even thinking aloud of the future of pedestrians’ mobility with ease within a decade. As such, it is obvious that the town planning, if there is any such noble deed that goes by that term, is totally oblivious of providing the minimum civic amenities for a large number of people in cities who happen to be on foot every day.
The best scholars of the land coming out of the most disciplined engineering universities in the country are apparently doing a disservice to thousands of people, who hold civic rights to walking on the footpath, in designing roads and their usability by various sections of people. On the contrary, the so-called footpaths are repaired and covered with exquisite tiles with due diligence and by spending public money only on facilitating the floating shops — tea sellers, fruit vendors, momo and live pizza bakers, sugarcane crushers and who and what not? As a result, the message that might be conveyed to the milieu is that anyone with anything on sale is allowed on the footpath except the ‘wheel-less ones.’
Irrespective of waves of changes and reforms in politics, administration, transport sector and so on in the country, the pedestrians are out and out neglected whereas in most countries of the world, they are prioritised at the time of city road planning. Not only in cities, the roads and highways across the country, including the local government engineered inter-growth centres connecting carpeted roads, people on foot, especially women and children, find themselves most vulnerable. Experts determine that footpath blockade and unavailability related accidents and death add a significant number to the total death counts throughout the country every year.
Apart from fatalities, because of the blockade of the footpath, children are late for schools; patients are stuck between ever-competing vehicles. Moreover, the recent nuisance by the name of ride-sharing motorcycles does not let the gap of an inch between the monstrous wheels (some bearing brand names such as monsters, scavengers, renegades) so that in case of emergencies, people can squeeze in to pass through while the bikers get attackingly furious if some transport halts leaving a foot or two ahead or sidewise, somehow blocking the wishful, serpentine movement of the unscrupulous riders.
Every individual traveller is a pedestrian at some stage of travel and hence a pedestrian’s facilities are significant in the smooth management of urban transport system. In view of the paradigm shift in overall transport system management from ‘moving the vehicles’ to ‘moving the people’ and particularly, while planning transport facilities in cities, provisions for integrated and barrier-free pedestrian facilities are essential to ensure inclusive mobility.
The basic aim of the road and vehicular movement planning should be to reduce pedestrian-traffic conflicts to the minimum. Efforts should be made to create such conditions that pedestrians are not forced to walk in unsafe circumstances and motorists respect the position of pedestrians. While planning, the convenience of pedestrians should be a paramount consideration to ensure the full use of the facilities. Pedestrian facilities are a critical element in producing a pedestrian-friendly environment. A number of engineering solutions to improve the quality of the pedestrian network should take the following groups into account: children, families with young children, elderly people, people with disabilities and people carrying heavy luggage.
City planners need to keep in mind that people on foot do not consume air-polluting fossil fuel to make mileage. Neither do they cause sound pollution. The mobility of pedestrians increases the visibility of varied social actors on the street level, adding beauty to the otherwise dull city scenes. It ensures social equality as well.
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Md Mukhlesur Rahman Akand is a joint secretary to the expatriates’ welfare and overseas employment ministry.
