Road-level crossings, traffic calming techniques alternatives

New Delhi: Delhi government’s Public Works Department might think that foot overbridges are the solution to pedestrian problems in the city, but experts are not convinced about them, advising instead a focus on

road-level crossings

.

A survey done by alumni of the School of Planning and Architecture (SPA) established that 40% of the FOBs in the city are not used by pedestrians at all. The group, which examined 45 out of the existing 70 FOBs, said many of these lacked basic infrastructure. “Pedestrian don’t use FOBs due to lack of infrastructure, their location and poor connectivity with bus stops and metro stations. Most FOBs aren’t disabled-friendly either,” said Gaurav Jangid, a member of the study group. The report will likely be submitted to the state government.

Road experts say a majority of FOBs, which cost Rs 1-4 crore to erect, are not “pedestrian-friendly”. “The supports of the bridge take up already scarce walking space on the pavements,” pointed out Arunava Dasgupta, head of urban design at SPA.

The experts recommend solutions like tabletop crossing or pelican crossing (a pedestrian crossing with traffic lights operated by pedestrians) as alternatives to FOBs. “Preference should be given to a signalised at-grade crossing. There are many other

traffic calming

techniques that can be adopted in place of FOBs,” said Mukti Advani, senior scientist, Central Road Research Institute.

Government officials explained that FOBs were sanctioned after conducting a field survey of the location, but experts retorted that a majority of them were constructed to ease vehicular movement, not for aiding pedestrians. “Our road infrastructure is biased towards cars and private vehicles,” said Advani.

Despite the installation of lifts and escalators, some FOBs, for instance those at Mayur Vihar, Pragati Maidan and Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, are not used by people. “In most cases, location is a huge disaster because the bridges are located 50-100m away from the actual point of need or are not connected with the concourse level of the nearest metro station,” said Dasgupta.

Jangid cited the example of the two FOBs near the Dilshad Garden metro station. “People prefer to cross at road level because these FOBs are located close to the intersection and are not connected with the metro station. People don’t want to climb up and down just to cross the road. These FOBs will be used if they connected with the nearby metro station,” he argued.

While experts admit that FOBs are necessary, they say the location should be carefully selected and the structure should be well-maintained and be easily accessible to people. “FOBs should be maintained and manned with a mechanised facility for ascents, else these will not be used,” said Dasgupta. “And if they are not maintained and manned properly, then FOBs become negative spaces that transform the city’s assets into liabilities.”


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