Pedestrian paths form an inseparable part of the urban infrastructure and plays a vital role within the urban socio- economic milieu and transportation system. Beyond their significance in urban mobility, these act as a means of access to the community facilities, services, public transport, shops, socio-cultural infrastructure, open space, and other vital urban activities. Presence of footpaths provide a greater amenity to people and make urban spaces connected, healthier, livable and sustainable along with physically on the go urbanites.

Even though pedestrian constitute significant portion of daily trips in our cities and towns, this facility has remained as an unkempt aspect of the urban development and urban policy of J&K which has made taking a walk along most of the roads as standoffish and cagey, be it in commercial or residential areas. It is unfortunately astounding to mention here that in Srinagar, it is rare to find a footpath in residential areas. Srinagar as such is a manifest testimony of continued ineptness to plan for its expansion especially residential sprawl and provide for its footpaths which more or less seems to have been a forgotten priority. The neglect is a unconcealed disregard of laws and a customary feature in all urban areas of the JK UT. It has been seen that Governments over the period of time may often show extraordinary sagacity in flyovers, grade separators, widening of roads, state of the art bus stops, bus stations, street lighting, hoardings etc. but has ignored the obligatory infrastructure in cities and towns. The comprehensive mobility plan-2022 of Srinagar city has established that pedestrian trips in the city account for 21.9 percent of the trips yet foot paths are missing and considered of no significance or are always outcome of afterthought of vehicular facilities. As such the nomenclature of pedestrian path only exists in planning regulation for roads, design of roads, ICRS Codes and in the files of civic agencies. Just before the implementation of the smart city project, till recently no one could name even a kilometer-long stretch of footpath in Srinagar where one could walk with ease, undisturbed and unobstructed. Even if there existed, these were mostly segmented and ill designed pavements, predominantly either encroached or raised with open manholes or with poor placement of electric poles/tree/plants, or have ill designed levels permeated and conjunct with other hurdles make footpaths user unfriendly.

First Right

Pedestrians have first and the fundamental right to safe walking space. These form a vital component of urban development having great bearing on functioning of cities and the overall quality of urban life of people. Bombay High Court in petition gave ruling that it is the fundamental right of a citizen to have roads and footpaths in reasonably good condition and that it is an obligation of local authorities to provide the same. Unfortunately, the civic agencies do not seem to take it seriously. Most of the footpath in Srinagar and in other urban areas are either not apt for walking or are encroached upon by shopkeepers, street vendors, hawkers, police beat boxes, electric transformers and telephone and electric poles. Not only this, most awful unauthorized operators are converting these into major display spaces for used vehicles, articles for sale or parking, turning illegally pedestrian spaces into moneymaking spaces. Baring the recently laid footpaths under smart city project almost all other footpaths are faulty in design making them difficult to use. Ideally a footpath needs to be 6 inches in height but the norm has been rarely followed, to make matters worse the pedestrian space is cluttered with obstacles like tree, extended residential gates, residential entries, open manholes, and barbed meshes. Despite this, urban local agencies continue their self-aggrandizement. Comprehensive Mobility Plan- 2022 for Srinagar city has proposed provision of pedestrian facilities on all major roads, virtually except one road central spine, all other roads san this facility resulting into immense inconvenience to general public. Existing footpaths in the city is a testimony of lopsided provision of this facility. These are available where there are few users and forgotten where these are needed the most. Frequent accidents such as people are hit by vehicles, is a vivid remainder of walking hazards in the city. These incidents are common and widespread in the cities and towns of the JK, UT. Almost all the high intensity residential, administrative and commercial areas in urban areas are confronted with problem of walking mobility, waning the efficiency and functioning in the process.

Mismanagement and ill Designed Footpaths

Be it Mehraj Gunj, Mehraj Bazar, Gawakadal, Koker Bazar and other traditional congested markets which have lost substantial business to hawkers encroaching not only on the pavements but even on the carriageway. In few market like Gawkadal , Mehraj Bazar, and Goni Khan where traders have encroached carriage way, leaving virtually no space for pedestrians. Most of the city footpaths have also broken surfaces and damaged kerb stones. Some of most ill maintained pavement include footpaths on both sides of Exhibition road up to Batamaloo junction, Jehangir Chowk -Karanaagr road, Airport road from exhibition to Barzulla, Bypass road, Airport Road from Peerbagh junction to Airport Gate. In SMC local area limits baring few footpaths, over the years have grown in height due to the successive reconstruction with open surface drains deepening alarmingly. These have also frequent discontinuities which make these unusable and unattractive. In areas where footfall of people is excessively high, pedestrians are compelled to walk on the carriage way in conflict with the vehicular traffic, pitching the vehicular traffic and pedestrians contra to each other for space and mobility. Therefore, greater attention needs to paid for appropriate design, ubiquity and uniformity of footpaths, to make these users friendly and provide seamless movement. All the major city roads like Channapora, Sanatnagar, Nowgam, Lal chowk-Dargah Road, Dargah Zakoora, Old Soura road, Naseem bagh -Illibagh road and almost all roads connecting residential and main activity areas in Srinagar city are deprived of such facility. The condition in other mid-sized cities and small towns is no better, these are also beset with glaring problems of pedestrians and situation even is much worse than the main cities of Jammu and Srinagar.

Policy Deficit

Since all the cities and towns in JKUT are confronted with problems of dismal traffic congestion mainly owing to ill -conceived city planning. It has not only failed to encourage dispersal of core urban activities but has resulted into ever increasing centralization and agglomeration of economic activities with increase in private vehicles, traffic congestion, acute pedestrian problems in the process. Not only this, most of the transport plans/masterplans have not considered footpaths as viable community space but a subservient part of the road which has undermined their importance in city functioning. The humble footpath has been overlooked, although is equally vital, if not more but an important public space for urban socio-economic fabric and city life. Very recently through the implementation of Smart City Mission project in Srinagar and Jammu cities, some efforts have been made and the government has been able to create viable space for pedestrian path within the project areas. Moreover, due to the limited domain of the projects, areas outside Central Business Districts seems to have been eluded of such an amenity. Virtually it has wrought a situation of urban segregation within the urban entities of Srinagar and Jammu, creating “ islands of privilege” by leaving behind places with widespread scourge tormenting majority of the population inhabiting city landscape. There is an urgent requirement to replicate and take such projects in other parts these cities and in other mid- sized cities of the JKUT.

Way Forward

All urban areas of the Jammu and Kashmir need to be provided an appropriate pedestrian infrastructure, especially with immediate attention in two main cities for improve pedestrian dignity. It will require high quality pedestrian facilities to commensurate with their capital status, tourist /pilgrim image and metro -character having primary focus on improving access, mobility, safety, social interaction, and economic momentum. It would require development of proper road hierarchies, creation of pedestrian zones, pedestrian walkways, road accesses, improvement in road cross sections, identification road crossings, grade separators, functional traffic signal system, mid-block crossing, enforcement mechanism for safe, hindrance free and seamless pedestrian movement. Provision for walking public space/plazas, regulation of vehicular speed and ensuring of traffic discipline. Focus also need to laid on the awareness of local safety measures for proper use of the facilities. Pedestrian facilities need to be extended along all the major corridors and residential street to accomplish mission of sustainable and smart city development which is a requirement of the forerunner of the future.

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