Footpaths must be both walkable and durable

Representation pic

At a recent event about city infrastructure and the future, an attendee said at the interactive session that things have reached such a stage that the Supreme Court, on Friday, June 19, in a judgment, had declared the freedom to walk on demarcated and well-maintained footpaths a fundamental right which has priority over movement by motorised vehicles. The highest court in the country had to intervene and pass a judgment on something so basic and taken for granted, or as a right in other countries.

The judgment came in a case of the death of a five-year-old boy who was crushed to death by a truck while walking to school with his father.

Recently, this paper cited numerous obstacles on a stretch of footpath, making it nearly impossible for pedestrians. We have had numerous pavement campaigns in the media highlighting footpaths that have become no-go zones for walkers for a number of reasons.

Let authorities begin by making the few footpaths they are working on, or which are left walkable. The pavements need to be low, just a couple of inches above the road and not the Mt Everest they are currently. New pavements must be made of high-quality material so that they do not come apart, rendering them dangerous even if accessible. They must be clearly marked. They cannot have some kind of undulation and cavities. Make pavements with vision and an accent on durability, accessibility, safety and walkability.

This is for new footpaths; the very least one can do for existing ones is to remove encroachments. It is shameful, telling and reflects on priorities that we need a court judgment on this.