Paper no. 11 in: "10 years with the FUT programme" Future Urban Transport

Pedestrians are present on all roads in Indian cities, regardless of road type and designated functions. Not surprisingly, given their number and constant presence, pedestrians are the largest group of victims in total traffic fatalities. Often, very little attention is given to the convenience and safety of pedestrians and non-motorised vehicles when planning urban roads. We have studied signalized intersections, bus stops and grade separators in Delhi to understand pedestrian crossing behaviour. The objective of these studies was to understand how intersection environment, bus-stop location and grade-separator design can be improved to facilitate the safe movement of pedestrians. Contrary to the general belief that pedestrians take unnecessary risks and indulge in jaywalking, our study shows that the majority of pedestrians prefer crossing at least half of the road under safe conditions. This is an important message for road designers. The Centre of Excellence has initiated the process of revising urban road standards with the Ministry of Urban Development, in the light of in-depth research on pedestrian risks in urban areas in Delhi.