CITIZENS FOR THE CITY Mumbaikars to walk for the pedestrian’s cause

Mission Part Of Rio+20 Conference Mumbai: 'Mumbaikars will walk'. This is a mission citizen activists have hit upon as part of Rio+20, the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD).      "We are setting ourselves and our elected representatives and administrators a very achievable goal of making Mumbai a pedestrian-friendly city," said Rishi Agarwal, member of the Mumbai Environmental Social Network whose members along with the No to CO2 Foundation have decided to launch a walking project for the city on June 20, when the conference takes off in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.      Agarwal said walking is healthy, does not pollute, is good for the environment, definitely cheaper and sometimes even quicker. To begin with, citizens will present an audit of two pavements in Mumbai. "We will show all the stakeholders what is right and wrong with these footpaths and how they can be improved."      Nayana Kathpalia, convenor, Citispace, said even in south Mumbai where footpaths are 30-foot wide, citizens are forced to walk on roads because these are uneven and a host of other problems as well.      The organization has been fighting for good pedestrian-friendly footpaths since 1998. "It is very doable. All it requires is a bit of planning such as zoning for hawkers, removing illegal hawkers, laying utilities and planting trees such that they do not obstruct walking. The prerequisite for this is intent on the part of the BMC and the state government," she said.      The activists have set up a website — www.walkingproject.org — where all studies will be uploaded and "we shall train citizens who are passionate about walking and want to make their areas pedestrian-friendly on how to audit their pavements."      These reports will be taken up with the municipal commissioner, mayor and local councillor for implementation. They will also prepare a pavement manual for the city, audit the civic budget spend and work out a good footpath's cost.      The activists are looking for volunteers to train in every ward who will hold 'walkshops' near the roadside to create awareness.  World cities that respect their pedestrians  Hong Kong | The city's pavements, subways, foot over bridges with escalators, skywalks, metro stations and ferry services are all effortlessly connected, so a pedestrian does not have to break his or her stride Singapore |Its pothole-free pavements, smooth slopes at exits and clear road signage make walking a joyful exercise  Elsewhere | Cities such as London, Barcelona, Amsterdam, Paris, New York and Chicago have reduced three-lane roads to one, and added pedestrian pathways. Times Square in New York is completely pedestrianfriendly. High Line, a retired railway spur in New York, is a linear park with a pathway  SIDE-STEPPED  How pedestrians are short-changed in the city  Pavements—if present at all—are so badly laid that one could sprain an ankle or fall into an open manhole  During monsoon, pavements get water-logged, if not washed away  Several are encroached upon by hawkers, telephone booths, large potted plants to prevent encroachment, community bins, building entrances with side-railings, electric boxes, parked vehicles and even bus stops  If there are traffic jams, two-wheelers clamber on to pavements to get ahead  Often, they are stewn with garbage and excreta  Trees often obstruct paths  One must step down and up at various obstructions  Wherever slopes are provided, they are too steep  Crossing roads is difficult without zebra-crossings  Not enough time is given to pedestrians to cross  Pedestrians have no choice but to walk on road