A well functioning road infrastructure must fulfill the requirements of all road users. In the context of the present socio-economic realities of most developing countries, pedestrians, bicyclists and other slow moving vehicles cannot be eliminated from the urban landscape. Pedestrians, bicyclists and non-motorised rickshaws are the most critical elements in mixed traffic. If the infrastructure design does not meet the requirements of these elements, all modes of transport operate in sub-optimal conditions. The needs of pedestrians may have been ignored in the conventional planning strategies and has been assigned lower importance compared to other vehicles present on the road. However, the experience from environments where 'captive pedestrians' are present makes a very strong case for rethinking conventional hierarchy of road users. The paper illustrates the critical role played by the low cost means of transport - walking, bicycling, rickshaws etc. - in making the city transport system efficient and sustainable based on case studies of Indian cities. For the covering abstract see ITRD E116619.
Samenvatting