Footpath encroachment leads to 24% spike in Pedestrian Deaths

As many as 1,880 pedestrians lost their lives in road accidents across the Karnataka last year, a rise of 24 per cent from the previous year, show National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data.

On average, five of the thirty people killed in accidents every day were walkers. Though accident-related fatalities decreased in 2019 as compared to 2018, pedestrian deaths went up. The state had witnessed 1,519 such deaths in 2018. 

Bengaluru city saw a record 272 pedestrians being killed in accidents last year, followed by Bengaluru Rural (173) & Tumakuru (142). In all, 10,958 people died in accidents across Karnataka. 

MA Saleem, IPS officer and traffic management expert, said cities account for 45 per cent of the road-accident fatalities in the state and jaywalking contributes to a large number of deaths. Any city should prioritise pedestrian paths first & enforcement must be strict, he asserted.

According to Saleem, skywalks & underpasses aren’t frequently used in cities like Bengaluru. In smaller towns, an increase in the number of vehicles has also contributed to pedestrian deaths, he said.

Experts also attribute the rise in pedestrian fatalities to encroachment of footpaths. According to the Indian Road Congress (IRC) 2012 guidelines, footpaths need to be 1.8 metres wide in residential pockets & 2.5 metres in commercial areas.

Prof MN Sreehari, a traffic expert opined, “Vehicular movement has grown exponentially in Bengaluru & Karnataka in the last decade. But what have governments done for pedestrians’ safety? Some parts of Bengaluru have footpaths, but most of them are encroached or damaged, which forces people to use roads for walking & causes accidents. Before creating awareness about jaywalking & other issues, the required infrastructure needs to be provided".

Source LInk