We are taught from childhood that the road is for driving and the footpath is for walking. In school, we start learning traffic rules in small groups. A child understands traffic signals, zebra crossings, trails, and roads and expects to see what he was taught when he goes out. But I have never seen anyone follow traffic rules with discipline since childhood.
I have always seen people crossing busy roads even though there is a footbridge over the road. Not following traffic lights, overspeeding, and overtaking are all too familiar acts of indiscipline on Indian roads.
Not all people, but many people, do not follow traffic rules there, and the funny thing is that people are ready to pay heavy fines.
In this article, I want to discuss some things I have always experienced while walking on the sidewalk.
It's a common thing in any city in India that the motorist will use footpaths for riding to avoid the long and endless traffic on the road, which is a danger to the pedestrian.
Somewhere I read, "Raise footpath levels; educate motorists!"
But it is not possible to educate these people every day, every time. Despite high fines on defaulters, people are not learning and are very ready to pay the fine.
First of all, the wide footpaths on most of the roads encourage this motorist to get in and out.
When there is a traffic jam on the road, these two-wheelers tend to use the footpath to avoid the mess and reach their destination much faster.
Many accidents happen on the footpath due to overriding or overtaking by two-wheelers.
People started avoiding walking on the pavement due to their fear of getting hurt by the two-wheelers.
Children and senior citizens are the main groups that use footpaths most of the time for walking. It's been very difficult for them to walk or use wheelchaira to.
The city’s new project for roads constructed under TenderSURE with broader pavements and granite bollards at frequent levels has been a great help.
The design of Tender SURE roads prioritises the comfort and safety of pedestrians and cyclists, as well as recognising the needs of street vendors and hawkers.
As per the rules, two-wheelers caught for the first time using a footpath for riding are liable to pay Rs. 300, and if seen on TenderSURE roads, they shall be filed with criminal cases.
It is challenging for traffic police to stand on the pavement every time to stop riders from coming onto the footpath.
However, we can try to stop this behaviour for future generations.
Corporations should develop various campaigns and safety policies to educate their employees about road safety and rules.
Roads should be designed in such a way that two-wheelers will never be able to get on the pavement.
Another thing we do is assist the traffic police with the help of the public. While walking on the footpath, if a motorist is using pavements for riding his bike, we should take a video of those defaulters and send those videos and photos to traffic police via social media or helpline numbers.
These are some solutions to avoid the two-wheelers getting onto the sidewalk.
To conclude, we as citizens can only help each other understand the importance of traffic rules. Our generation will take it seriously when we follow it seriously. They learn from us. Hence, if we want to overcome these problems, we should teach them about their promising future.