Once upon a time, John Burroughs had written such nice words for the pedestrians as “No one else looks out upon the world so kindly and charitably as the pedestrian; no one else gives and takes so much from the country he passes through". Maybe he was imagining a pastoral world-basically rustic in nature. In the present scenario, where almost the entire landscape of the earth is dotted with concrete jungles, there seems to be no place for pedestrians! In modern cities, the existing roads have been widened at the cost of footpaths meant for pedestrians alone. On these black top roads, thousands of vehicles ply daily at such a speed that it is impossible to walk on the road on foot by any human being.
In the Indian context, the plight of poor and hapless pedestrians has been well-described in the Transportation Research and Injury Prevention Centre-IIT-Delhi’s ‘India Status Report on Road Safety’ released in May 2025. This Status Report states that ‘between 2019 to 2023, nearly 8 lakhs people died in road accidents, 1.5 lakh of them were pedestrians, implying that nearly 1 in 5 fatalities. This reflects a glaring gap in urban infrastructure, which is a testimony to the fact that the States are not fulfilling their responsibility to construct footpaths along the roads. The blurred vision of the urban planners is so well expressed by George Monbiot as such: “Pedestrians and cyclists are squeezed by planners into narrow and often dangerous spaces-the afterthoughts of urban design.”
The State of Existing Footpaths
As our cities expand and densify, the road infrastructure invariably gets a facelift. Ironically, the existing footpaths become the ultimate casualty. In the eyes of the city planners, the need for the footpath comes as an afterthought, and it hardly comes within the initial framework of planning a road. The following scenarios are manifestations of such a skewed approach of the town planners:-
Footpath as a Planting Site
In numerous footpaths, saplings are planted by the municipal staff that encroach on the free space for walking meant for pedestrians. Not only this, but also, the plants are randomly chosen, and sometimes, thorny plants are also planted, which are harmful to the walkers. By doing this, the basic purpose of the construction of footpaths is defeated to the detriment of the pedestrians.
Footpaths as Shopping Complexes
This is the most common sight of almost every footpath worth its name. More often than not, the space of the footpath is occupied by small vendors selling all kinds of merchandise from morning to dusk, and even after. Also, many regular shopkeepers convert this space into an extension of their permanent shops. They do it by providing a tarpaulin cover over the given space. Needless to say, such activities are carried out with the concurrence and active cooperation of the municipal and police staff who receive illegal money from these vendors. Therefore, in the daytime, it becomes impossible for any pedestrian to tread on these otherwise secured roots. That drives them to walk on foot on the busy roads, inviting road accidents in a large number.
Footpaths as Temporary Resting Place for Stray Animals
Cattle and dogs, sitting on the empty spaces of the footpath, are not an uncommon sight. This not only blocks the free passage of the commuters but also soils the place with their solid and liquid waste excreta. There is no system for stopping this menace evolved yet.
Footpaths as Parking Lots
Footpaths are also sometimes used for parking two-wheelers such as scooters, motorcycles, bicycles, etc., and they are managed by unscrupulous persons who charge money from the users of the facility.
Footpaths as Cycle Tracks
In some places, footpaths have been converted into cycle tracks for teenagers. However, they also don't use it regularly. Once again, these tracks fall prey to misuse by street vendors and other anti-social elements.
All the above-mentioned and other such activities can be easily seen on the footpaths in any part of the country. But scarcely any effective legal action is taken by the concerned authorities. On the contrary, it is seen that the municipal authorities often issue the street vendors using the footpath space a tehbazari receipt, which gives them a certain kind of occupancy right, which helps them in the court proceedings.
Laxity in Maintaining Footpaths
The broken footpaths are seldom timely repaired. There seems to be a perennial resource crunch in the form of a paucity of funds. The reason is that the use of footpaths has somehow become a redundant issue in the realm of urban planning. A time comes when a broken footpath appears in the shape of debris of cement-concrete. Then, mending it requires more funds from the otherwise starved municipal exchequer.
The Declining Role of Footpaths as a Health Provider
In the cities, people frequently use footpaths during morning and evening walks. In many parts of the cities, there are no public parks in adequate numbers. As a result, these footpaths work as a supply line to fresh air full of oxygen to humans who prefer safe travel in the course of their walks. It is extremely scary to travel on an empty road, even as nobody knows when a biker or a vehicle driver will come and hit them. That is why the footpath is a preferred choice for the walkers. These walks are a boon for a man or woman's physical and mental health and provide a vision full of positivity. This is an important reason to construct and maintain footpaths along every road passing through the city.
Conclusion
Footpaths are the necessary ingredients of the urban landscape throughout the country. However, of late, its importance is deliberately relegated to the extent of its vanishing from the scene. The already existing footpaths are being broken to widen the road alongside, and no place is earmarked for the pedestrians who either can't afford private vehicles or who still love to walk on foot to keep themselves fit and healthy. Walking on foot is beneficial in many ways, and this habit should be encouraged by the municipal authorities, in particular. At the government level, every endeavour should be made to maintain old footpaths and construct new ones. Footpaths are the lifelines of modern concrete jungles, and this fact should not be allowed to take a backseat in our thought process. Furthermore, the municipal and police authorities should firmly deal with the encroachers on the footpaths, and there should be no let-up in such official duties. At the same time, plantations should not be done so that there is no squeeze on the available space of the already restricted footpath area. At this juncture, a holistic approach is needed to safeguard footpaths as they are meant for humans to make multiple uses according to their wishes. Let us not forget what Lewis Mumford has so aptly written about the pedestrians:
“Restore human legs as a means of travel. Pedestrians rely on food for fuel and need no special parking facilities.”