Walking is a basic right and an everyday habit for millions, yet Indian cities have long forgotten the footpath that should belong to everyone.
In a landmark decision last month, the Supreme Court ruled that safe and designated pedestrian pathways are a fundamental right that outranks the privilege of any motorised vehicle. The judgment was prompted by a tragic incident: a five‑year‑old boy crushed by a truck while heading to school.
Surveys show that 45 million workers in India walk to work every day, compared with just 5.4 million who use cars or two‑wheelers. When we add everyday shopping, school runs and public‑transport connections, walking dominates urban mobility. But outside that logic, the reality on the ground is grim.
Footpaths in Delhi, Mumbai and Gurugram are frequently broken, narrow and blocked by encroachments or parked cars. Even where design suggests a safe route, it may be just two metres wide, too high for wheelchair users and abruptly ending, forcing walkers back onto the carriageway. “They are pushed to the margins of the road networks,” says transport scholar Geetam Tiwari.
Data indicate pedestrians cause about one‑fifth of all road fatalities in India, but many studies estimate the figure closer to 30‑40 percent. In Delhi and Mumbai, pedestrian deaths comprise more than half of all traffic fatalities. The cost to the economy is 3‑5 % of GDP each year through lost productivity, health costs and disability.
Yet the courts, planners and drivers see the city as a conduit for vehicles, not a space for people. Ride‑share lanes are carved out, motorways built, and footbridges erected only after fatality counts push local authorities. In the meantime, domestic workers, street vendors and everyday commuters risk their lives crossing busy arterial routes.
“If the footpath is discontinuous, it is simply more convenient to keep walking on the road,” notes Rahul Goel, a transport researcher at IIT Delhi. He argues that the root problem is the prioritisation of vehicle space over people.
Re‑imagining India’s streets requires a multipronged approach: lowering default speed limits, narrowing lanes, adding bus‑only lanes and urban cycling paths. It also demands institutionalising maintenance – ensuring footpaths are cleaned, free of food waste, and free from encroachment by privately owned vehicles.
Beyond infrastructure, walking must be re‑centred in civic life. In a city where mobility is dictated by cars, walking can become an act of leisure or resistance – an important cultural and health activity that has shaped India’s freedom struggle. The Supreme Court’s ruling is a vital first step, but true change will follow only if long‑term planning recognises pedestrians as the priority users of the road.
For residents, it means more than just a crosswalk – it demands pathways that can take a young child, a senior with a cane or a vendor’s market cart safely from one side of the road to the other.
