As the nation undertakes a long-awaited Census, can we utilise the decadal exercise for rethinking urban mobility? Census 2011 was the first to gather information on the mode of travel used by workers to reach their workplace. Despite limitations, that data provides the only nationally representative snapshot of commuting patterns in India. The findings are revealing. A majority of Indian workers (58.1% in rural areas and 48.9% in urban ones) commute either on foot or by bicycle, and more than 20% rely on public transport (buses/trains) for their daily commute. By contrast, the share of motorised two-wheelers in urban districts is around 20%, and the share of cars, jeeps or vans remains below 5%.
Taken together, this suggests that nearly 70% of Indian workers walk, cycle or use public transport to reach their workplaces. While updated data from the forthcoming census will help refine this understanding, the available evidence offers a compelling insight that most Indians depend on forms of mobility which receive little policy priority and investment.
Access and equity
The case for strengthening pedestrian infrastructure is closely tied to the issues of access and equity. According to available data, around 22.53 crore driving licences have been issued to citizens in India, of which only 6% are women. These numbers highlight a major barrier to private mobility. For most citizens, the option of driving a private vehicle doesn’t exist.
Apart from being a means of transportation, mobility determines access to employment, education, markets, healthcare and leisure. Expanding equitable mobility options therefore directly contributes to expanding economic and social opportunities.
Pedestrian infrastructure is the essential “first and last mile” of public transport systems. Without safe and continuous footpaths, public transport becomes difficult to access. At the same time, walking itself is a legitimate and independent mode of transport. Millions walk to access workplaces, markets, schools and to reach transit stations to reach their daily destinations. Yet in many Indian cities, walking is unsafe, uncomfortable and undignified due to the absence of footpaths or the presence of broken ones, encroachments, poor lighting and lack of maintenance.
The State has an important role in ensuring that those without access to private transport, whether due to economic constraints, gender barriers or other social factors, are provided safe, reliable and affordable mobility alternatives, of which walking is an important one.
Current scenario
Despite the centrality of walking in India’s mobility landscape, investment in pedestrian infrastructure remains poorly documented and neglected. Analysing public spending on pedestrian and cycling infrastructure reveals a striking gap. Apart from scattered references in reports of NITI Aayog, projects undertaken under the Smart Cities Mission and isolated initiatives by some urban local bodies, comprehensive national statistics on investment in pedestrian infrastructure are scarce.
Pedestrian infrastructure is largely governed by the Indian Roads Congress guidelines and various urban street design manuals, which are not legally binding. Although public works departments and municipalities maintain technical specifications for footpaths and pedestrian amenities, the absence of clearly earmarked budgets or dedicated reporting suggests that pedestrian infrastructure isn’t a policy priority.
This is in stark contrast with investments made in road infrastructure. While these investments are necessary for supporting commerce, logistics and long-distance mobility, there is a strong case for greater balance in spending, particularly in urban areas where walking remains a dominant mode of travel.
Learning from international practices
Several countries have embedded pedestrian infrastructure within their legal and planning frameworks.
In many cities in the US and the UK, “Complete Streets” policies require roads to be designed for all users, including pedestrians. Developers are often required to construct sidewalks at their own cost before receiving occupancy approvals, with planning codes specifying minimum sidewalk widths and accessibility standards.
In the Netherlands, urban planning frameworks require continuous pedestrian networks in neighbourhood plans. In Japan, urban regulations mandate wide sidewalks near transit stations, safe walking routes to schools and pedestrian-only shopping streets. In Singapore pedestrian infrastructure is treated as an integral component of the transport system, with sheltered walkways and pedestrian links connecting residential areas to transit stations.
These examples demonstrate how legal mandates, planning standards and institutional focus can systematically improve walkability.
The way forward
As pedestrian infrastructure is not generally mandated in development approvals, it is frequently treated as an afterthought, not a core component of urban mobility. Many growing cities with expanding infrastructure provide examples of such insensitive planning and lopsided investment.
Strengthening pedestrian infrastructure is not about opposing private vehicles. People will continue to own cars or two-wheelers, particularly for longer trips, but well-designed pedestrian infrastructure can make short trips more convenient without the need to use motorized vehicles.
Apart from enabling millions to walk to work, safer and more accessible pedestrian infrastructure is important for addressing the increasing challenges of traffic congestion, air pollution and declining urban liveability. Pedestrian infrastructure moving from the margins of policy discourse to its centre, would involve clearer legal mandates for footpaths in development approvals, national street design standards, and stronger protections for pedestrian right-of-way. In the longer term, there may be merit in considering a dedicated agency to focus on pedestrian infrastructure. The higher fiscal transfers to cities, new grants for urban infrastructure and incentives for stronger municipal finances recommended by the 16 Finance Commission should enable cities to prioritize walkability and invest in strengthening pedestrian infrastructure.
The new Census data should endeavour to cover modes of travel, distances travelled, time taken, multimodal travel and vehicle ownership, which will be invaluable for urban mobility analysis and for resource allocation towards balance transport planning.
Improving pedestrian infrastructure need not begin with an overwhelming city-wide transformation. A practical starting point would be for cities to identify their major economic and commercial nodes like central business districts, markets, transit hubs, educational clusters, industrial areas and plan a network of footpaths connecting surrounding neighbourhoods to these nodes.
Pedestrian infrastructure as a policy priority can improve local governance resulting from better maintenance, regulating encroachments, improving street lighting and cleanliness — thus restoring dignity and safety to everyday walking experience.
Building safe and walkable streets is no longer an urban design choice – it is necessary for ensuring equitable rights to all citizens for accessing economic opportunities and improving the quality of life.
The writer is Secretary, Transport Department, Govt of Jammu and Kashmir
