As the residents of the national capital are waking up to the health benefits of walking and health and environmental hazards of vehicular pollution, making Delhi roads walkable and cyclable has become the need of the hour.
Over the years, poor urban planning and poorer execution had left little room for people to walk on Delhi streets, which is no less than a nightmare.
According to data by the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) as much as 34 per cent of all daily person trips are ¡°walk-only¡±¡ª with 58 per cent of education trips and 31 per cent of business and service trips being walking trips.
Nearly 50 per cent of metro users travel to or from the stations on foot. Walking is also the dominant mode of travel for 77 per cent of the urban poor who commute on foot.?
The data says that close to 60 per cent of all trips are less than four kilometres and 80 per cent below six kilometres.
Despite such movement on feet, almost 40 per cent of road length has no footpaths (basic walking infrastructure).
In its Draft Master Plan for Delhi - 2041, the Delhi Development Authority laid special emphasis on making Delhi's roads walkable and cyclable.
The plan is made keeping in mind the people who choose walking and cycling as an affordable? mobility option but also as one that is comfortable, safe and accrues health and environmental benefits.
Implementation of strategies for promoting active travel shall facilitate the following:
Active travel shall be promoted by designing an urban environment where more people choose it as a preferred means for both ¡®destination travel¡¯ i.e. to work, school, place of worship, stores, theatres, public transit etc., as well as ¡®recreational travel¡¯ i.e. for leisure or exercise.
The master plan proposes to design streets to ensure equitable distribution of road space and safe mobility for users of all ages and abilities, prioritise barrier-free movement for pedestrians and cyclists, and provision of enabling infrastructure to create an ecosystem for active travel.Existing streets shall be incrementally retrofitted to serve pedestrians and cyclists better.
Additionally, pedestrian walkways/ footpaths shall be provided mandatorily in new development areas.
The plan also includes provision of street furniture i.e. benches and other seating, garbage bins, signage, public utilities, e.g. restrooms, child care rooms, changing rooms and d drinking water spouts at regular intervals, etc.
The plan includes identification and development of certain corridors as cycling highways facilitating long distance active travel across the city.
Exclusive pedestrian and cycling pathways are proposed to be created along natural drains and the River Yamuna as city level dedicated corridors.
The government plans to encourage battery-operated e-bikes and other green-mobility options.
Awareness campaigns and public engagement strategies will be implemented to boost consensus building for active travel interventions and induce change in travel behaviour.
There are enough studies to show that better walkability makes cities more viable for citizens, especially those who rely on public transport to get around.
Despite this, most of the urban planning is focussed on vehicles and not pedestrians, and the new plan may play a major role towards changing mobility patterns and behaviours.