Lokendra Kumar Jain

Delhi Roads: a Pedestrian Nightmare Lokendra Kumar Jain

I find walking on Delhi roads really difficult. My observations drew my attention to the plight of pedestrians. Further research revealed the casualty & morbidity toll and other details of Delhi roads to be quite bad as compared to other cities in the world. Over 100000 persons die every year in India in road accidents. In addition over 1.5 million are hospitalized and 7 million suffer minor injuries. The estimated annual loss is Rs. 550 billion i.e. 3% of GDP. In Delhi pedestrians form 50% of road accident casualties compared to 8.5% of the national average. As pedestrians people face several problems. There is practically no space to walk on. The footpaths have been encroached upon for various activities. These conditions are highly intolerable and unacceptable. I suggest some inexpensive solutions using existing infrastructure. These solutions, if implemented, will help drastically reduce the death toll involving pedestrians.