Walking and non-motorised vehicles are the principal modes of transport for most of the urban poor in Asian cities. For a large number of people even subsidised public transport (buses) and low cost bicycles are beyond their means, so that a significant proportion of the population fails into the category of 'captive pedestrians', Captive pedestrians and public transport users together form the largest group of road users. Yet their need for a safe and convenient infrastructure continues to be ignored. This has two major impacts on city traffic and travel patterns. Pedestrian and public transport trips as a percentage of total journeys have declined over the years, though they are not expected to disappear in the near future. Pedestrians are present on the roads despite hostile infrastructure designs and motor vehicles are forced to share the road space with them; this creates sub-optimal conditions for all road users. A reversal of this trend is possible. It is possible to create pedestrian, bicycle and public transport friendly urban roads without increasing the right of way of existing arterial roads in Delhi. The guiding principle of such a design is re-assigning priorities to various road users and by meeting the needs of pedestrians, cyclists and public transport commuters in that order. (A)
Abstract