Walking in streets unsafe for pedestrians

Every year many people are killed on Rawalpindi roads. There is an absolute lack of apathy from our civic authorities and even fellow citizens to pedestrian safety.

“Reasonable footpaths are a rare sight in the city. Even signal-free roads are very unsafe for pedestrians but are convenient for motorists only. The few places we do have footpaths are built completely irrationally. Busy junctions have footpaths that are narrow, putting pedestrians in danger,” says Mustansar Hussain.

“Strangely, footpaths are not continuous, thus making them unsuitable for walking. People have to get on and off the walkway constantly. The city not only has discontinuous footpaths everywhere, more often the area between two walkways is completely un-walkable too,” adds Mustansar.

“It is also common to see footpaths being occupied by big stores to be used as parking. Again, convenience for motorists at the expense of pedestrians. Why pedestrians are treated poorly by society as a whole. Pedestrians, just like someone in a car or on a bike, are also people. Unlike motorists, however, pedestrians are seen as pests who should move out of the way,” says Sadaqat Ali.

“Pedestrians are expected to stay off the roads and not cross anywhere, giving motorists full priority to use the roads the way they see fit. This is not unique to one area of the city. Even our traffic police is in the habit of using words such as jaywalkers to describe victims of automobile violence,” laments Anique Haider.

“I remember one time I was waiting for a bus. There was no bus shelter, footpath, or even streetlights at that place. Nevertheless, the traffic cop stationed there was shouting at us for standing on the paved road. Why? Because vehicles are more important than genuine people,” says Masheer Zaidi.

“Another incident that comes to mind is when I was traveling in a bus that broke down near Khanna Bridge. As I got down from the bus and went onto the cracked footpath there, I immediately heard a honk behind me. A scooter was honking at me to move, while on the footpath,” adds Masheer.

“How can pedestrians expect to be safe in a city that treats them like this? Even in spaces designated for pedestrians, they are honked at and made to move for the convenience of motorists,” says Manzar Naqvi.

“If a motorist is seen speeding, they are simply sent a message about a challan, and they are allowed to go about their day despite doing something that can very well harm or even kill people,” says Safdar Abbas.

Hamid Hussain says, “Our city needs to realize that pedestrians are people too, and they should be treated like normal human beings. Motorists should be held accountable for their dangerous actions. Our streets should be made safe for everyone.”