All of us, who live in or have lived in cities know how hard it is to be a pedestrian. It is almost a rarity to find a footpath (sidewalk or pavement) along a road. And, if there is one, a pedestrian has to compete with streetside vendors, garbage strewn around and stinking walls (because of people using them as public toilets). It is common to see vehicles driving on the “foot"path during rush hour too (at least in Hyderabad). It is unfortunate that one of the first things that our city planners propose in order to ease traffic congestion is widening of roads. Any guesses how they achieve that? Right, they tear up the footpaths first. Little do they realize that this will only lead to more accidents and congestion because of pedestrians having to walk on the roads. This also means that all the trees on the sides of the road will be cut and driving on the road will be as enjoyable as cruising in a preheated oven.
How is all this related to our trip? Hey, if there are no sidewalks, where are hitchhikers supposed to ask for rides from! And if we don’t get rides, we will have to walk, right? And we need a sidewalk to walk on, right?
We are proud to be endorsed and supported by the Right to Walk Foundation(the website is down right now, will be up in a day or two). Right to walk has been a fearless champion of pedestrian rights in Hyderabad and has been trying to ensure that pedestrian rights are upheld. The foundation has been filing RTI (Right to Information) petitions to make sure that the civic authorities are held accountable too. Can you believe that the municipal corporation and the R&B (roads & buildings) department have both been trying to wash their hands off maintaining the existing pavements in Hyderabad? If you want to stop this shirking of responsibility, you have to act too!
Support the R2W foundation and help in every way you can!
If you think this is a noble idea, do try it in your own city.