Ministry norms back pedestrian space on cities' highway stretches

PUNE: Pedestrian facilities such as zebra crossings and footpaths are nearly absent on highways passing through cities.
But this situation is set to change as the ministry of road transport and highways recently issued guidelines to all states and public works departments, stressing on the need for pedestrian facilities on highways passing through urban areas.
The guidelines were issued to all chief secretaries of state governments, National Highways Authority of India, and chief engineers of the public works department.
Crossing of highways passing through urban areas is a huge deterrent for persons with reduced mobility, said the ministry. As such it has sought focus on facilities for persons with disabilities and reduction of pedestrian conflicts with vehicular traffic.
"Pedestrian facilities are a critical element in producing a pedestrian-friendly environment on roads. Accessible design is the foundation and primary concern for all pedestrian facilities which need to be planned, designed and maintained such that they are freely used by everyone, including persons with disabilities or using mobility aids," the ministry said.
The guidelines say footpaths should be consistently provided on both sides of the road, above the level of the carriageway, and should be separated by kerbs. "The minimum width of a clear unobstructed footpath should be at least 1.8m wide so that a two-wheeled chair can pass comfortably. If existing paths are less than 1.8m wide, provision of passing places 1.8 meter wide and 2.5 meter long should be made at a reasonable frequency, depending on the intensity of use. There should be no trees, utility poles, or signages that could obstruct persons with vision impairment and using walking aids," the guidelines said.
Zebra crossings, in the range of 2m to 4m, should be provided across the entire carriage width, delineated with the help of black and white stripes. They should have embossed texture for easy detection by the visually disabled persons, for which thermoplastic paint with +5mm embossed texture should be used.
Pedestrian traffic lights should be provided with audible signals to facilitate safe and independent crossing of the road for such persons, the guidelines added.
Kerbs are the best indicators for persons with vision impairment to detect the edge of the footpath. The height of the kerb at the edge shall not exceed the height of a standard step riser, that is 150mm. Persons with vision impairment need guidance in using pedestrian areas especially at places where footpath crosses large open spaces or where normal guidance given by the edge of footpath is not available. This guidance can be provided by fixing tacile pavers on the surface of footpath, in the line of travel, avoiding obstructions," the guidelines mentioned.
Regular maintenance of the pavers is essential and cracked or uneven blocks need to be replaced, so that they should not become tripping hazards.