Pedestrian safety in danger on Rawalpindi roads

RAWALPINDI:Every year over several pedestrians become victims of careless motorists and bikers on Rawalpindi’s roads considering the absolute lack of apathy from our civic authorities and even fellow citizens to pedestrian safety.

Perhaps, a big part of the problem lies in the infrastructure of our city, as it is hostile towards pedestrians. We do not even have footpaths. The few places we do have footpaths that are completely unscientific. A visit to Imran Avenue in Chaklala Scheme III, Iqbal Road, Jinnah Road, College Road, Gowalmandi Road, Jamia Masjid Road, Circular Road, and Saidpur Road will prove this. “I live along the Service Road near Dhoke Muhammad Khan, and footpaths are an unlikely sight here. What we do get is a rough, dirty road with garbage bins placed almost in the centre of the road that is very unsafe for pedestrians. Take the junction at Dhoke Hafiz for instance; it has discarded construction material like bricks, sand, and iron rods that I cross on a daily basis,” says Baseer Haider. “Most of the roads are convenient for motorists at the expense of pedestrian safety. Nevertheless, there is no facility to make them safe for pedestrians. There are no zebra crossings, no footpaths, no pedestrian signals, and there is a continuous flow of fast-moving vehicles here,” says Gul Hasan.

“Just imagine trying to cross the double road near Gulzar-e-Quaid even if you are young and able-bodied. It is such a busy road that it puts pedestrians in danger. One overhead bridge has recently emerged at Shah Khalid Colony stop, but it is of no use to other neighbourhoods. Moreover, this overhead bridge is useless for the elderly, and for special persons,” says Asadullah Ali.

“Footpaths should have a height of not more than 150mm. The height of the footpaths is over double the maximum allowed limit. Footpaths should also be a minimum of 1.8 meters wide. Are our civic authorities so incompetent that they are unaware of basic footpath standards? If they are aware, they just do not care. Either way, a big problem needs to be addressed,” says Jafar Raza, a civil engineer. “It is also common to see footpaths being occupied by big stores to be used as parking. Again, convenient for motorists at the expense of pedestrians, says Shafaat Hussain.