What are the main obstacles in ensuring road safety for pedestrians in India?
The Supreme Court has asked states to frame road safety rules, but I want to understand what makes it challenging to protect pedestrians and how these challenges can be overcome.
Ensuring road safety for pedestrians in India is a major concern due to rapid urbanization, increasing vehicular traffic, and inadequate infrastructure. Despite legal interventions and guidelines, several obstacles hinder the effective protection of pedestrians on Indian roads.
- Poor Infrastructure: Many roads lack proper footpaths, zebra crossings, and pedestrian signals. Encroachment of footpaths by vendors and parked vehicles further forces pedestrians onto the roads.
- Lack of Awareness and Road Discipline: Both drivers and pedestrians often do not follow traffic rules. Jaywalking, signal jumping, and not yielding to pedestrians are common.
- Insufficient Enforcement of Laws: Existing laws for pedestrian safety are not strictly enforced, leading to frequent violations without consequences.
- High Vehicle Density and Speeding: Increasing numbers of vehicles, especially in urban areas, and reckless driving make roads dangerous for pedestrians.
- Poor Urban Planning: Many cities are not designed with pedestrian movement in mind. There is often a lack of safe crossings, skywalks, and subways.
- Inadequate Lighting and Signage: Poorly lit streets and lack of clear signs make it difficult for pedestrians to navigate roads safely, especially at night.
- Negligence in Maintenance: Broken footpaths, open drains, and potholes increase the risk of accidents for pedestrians.
- Limited Public Participation: There is often little involvement of citizens in planning and monitoring road safety measures for pedestrians.
Answered
6 days ago